By Zephyria 
His second lieutenant rank insignia had been given to him by Pig, who had attached it to his own shoulder long ago. Only then did Tae-muk realize why the Taegeuk pattern on the epaulette had faded.
He had thought that epaulettes and ranks didn’t matter, but knowing the truth left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Anyway, in that manner, the unit was abandoned.
A unit composed of those lower than beasts, without a single nobleman, was something no one cared about and no one looked into. The supply of military rations was cut off, and the orders to kill Devouring Ghouls ceased, but since they were already in the middle of the battlefield, they had no choice but to keep killing.
The unit seemed to be undergoing a process of dissolution. Those who were not Gods of War could go to the towns, find jobs, tend to fields, and live safely; those who were Gods of War had to become soldiers regardless, so they had to move to other units.
Yet, ironically, no one wanted to leave. Everyone naturally surrounded Tae-muk and began chatting amongst themselves.
“Can’t we just stay like this? I like it here…”
“Me too. I like it here too.”
“Is there any reason we can’t? Either way, we just have to kill those Devouring Ghoul bastards, right?”
“Right, right.”
“Even if we go to another unit, the leader will just be another nobleman. It’s obvious they’ll use us as bullet fodder just to claim the credit for themselves.”
“You brat. You should call them Devouring Ghoul fodder.”
“Anyway. We’ll just end up dead if we go.”
“That’s a fair point.”
People of all ages and genders voiced their opinions one by one. Among them were those who had been in the unit as long as Tae-muk, and new recruits who had joined only recently.
“Hmm, then how about we start a unit of our own?”
“Is that possible?”
“Why not? It’s not like we’re talking about banditry; we’re hunting Devouring Ghouls. Do we really need the government’s permission?”
Sitting under the base of a tree to avoid the rain, Tae-muk just smoked, regardless of what they said. He felt stifled and lost, knowing that he no longer had a place to go, that the place he belonged had vanished.
To think that everything disappeared just because one useless Pig died. He felt disgusted, as if the ten years he spent on the battlefield had been dragged through the mud. He also felt a sense of bitterness, thinking that since he was born a Lowborn, things like being a second lieutenant were never a fit for him in the first place.
“Yeah. How about Tae-muk over there becomes the captain, huh? And we’ll be the subordinates. Would that work?”
However, he couldn’t let those words go in one ear and out the other. Chewing on the end of his cigarette, Tae-muk frowned and asked back.
“You want to make me the captain?”
“Then who else in this unit is fit to be the captain besides you?”
“There’s that mister over there.”
Tae-muk gestured with his chin toward the Lieutenant Colonel leaning against the tree.
“Aw, come on…”
At that, the soldiers pulled back their chins and frowned.
“Aw, come on…”
Even the Lieutenant Colonel made the same sound and scowled.
“…”
Tae-muk let out a sigh of disbelief. He was only eighteen years old; he wondered why these people, who had lived long enough to have acquired a variety of useless skills, were acting like this. Nevertheless, the meeting continued centered around Tae-muk, though it proceeded as if he weren’t even part of it.
“Tae-muk is the perfect fit. He was a second lieutenant, after all.”
“Exactly. Tell every second lieutenant in the world to come here. Our Tae-muk would beat them all.”
“Right, a captain should be strong and young, huh? That’s the kind of person who should do it.”
“Correct. Making someone captain just because they’re old is the old way. It’s not like that these days.”
“Alright. Let’s make Tae-muk the captain.”
“I’m down.”
“I’m down too.”
And so, Tae-muk haphazardly became the captain. Tae-muk simply exhaled cigarette smoke with a look that said, You’ve got to be kidding me.
“Then, should we decide on a unit name now?”
“Oh, oh! There’s no need to even create one. People are already calling us… what was it, uh, the Bright Red Unit.”
“Bright Red Unit? How can a unit name be so simple? It’s not cool, it’s pretty bad.”
“Isn’t that name because of Tae-muk over there?”
Tae-muk arched an eyebrow at the reappearance of his name.
“What about me?”
“It’s because you go around saving people drenched in blood like some kind of ghost! Besides, you kill Devouring Ghouls so noisily. You could just stab them in the head, so why do you have to pop the lid off? It’s so messy…”
“…No, it’s better to make sure they’re dead.”
Tae-muk muttered, rubbing the rain off his face with his palm. Previously, he had always carried a weapon, whether a spear or a sword, but at some point, he started going barehanded. The quality of the weapons issued to the soldiers wasn’t that great, and he had to maintain the blades himself. He started fighting barehanded because that was a hassle, and he wondered why he had to hear nagging about it.
Wrinkling and then smoothing his nose, Tae-muk looked at the Lieutenant Colonel leaning against the tree. He was signaling for him to do something about this, but the Lieutenant Colonel showed him the sword hanging from his waist. His expression said, ‘I have a weapon. You’re the only one without.’ It was so obnoxious that Tae-muk felt the urge to sear the man’s eyeballs with his cigarette.
“Isn’t there something a bit better than the Bright Red Unit?”
“How about the Red Unit?”
“That’s the same thing, you brat.”
“Then since we’re looking for something cool, how about the Tiger Unit? Brave, scary, huh?”
“Ehh… that’s a bit childish…”
“I—I have a good idea.”
“What is it?”
“How about the Daehan Unit? The Daehan Unit. It sounds like, huh? The, huh? Representative unit of the country, huh? Isn’t that good?”
“Aw… but we’re already, uh, known as the Bright Red Unit, so the meaning should be consistent. Right?”
“Gosh, then what else is there? Bright red is just bright red…”
After a noisy bout of arguing, silence fell. Everyone seemed to have run out of special ideas, their eyes merely rolling around.
The sound of the pouring rain filled the silence. It was then, while Tae-muk was staring at the rain falling so fiercely it seemed it would pierce the ground.
“How about the Crimson Rain Brigade?”
The Lieutenant Colonel, who had only been coughing occasionally, spoke up for once. Everyone’s gaze turned toward him.
“Crimson Rain Brigade? What does that mean?”
Just as the Lieutenant Colonel was about to answer, someone from the crowd spoke.
“Does it use the character for ‘Crimson’ and the character for ‘Rain’ to make the Crimson Rain Brigade?”
This time, everyone’s gaze turned toward him.
“Huh? What does being crimson have to do with rain?”
“It can be interpreted as red rain falling wherever they pass, meaning they have killed many Devouring Ghouls, and it could also mean they have fought many battles so difficult that blood overflowed.”
The voice that followed was calm, yet poised and powerful. The people looked back at the Lieutenant Colonel, asking if that was really the case. The Lieutenant Colonel shrugged.
“Well, the interpretation is better than the original thought, but it’s roughly similar to what I had in mind.”
“Wow… if that’s the meaning, it sounds incredibly strong. Enemies will wet themselves the moment they hear it.”
“Have you ever seen a Devouring Ghoul wet itself?”
“No, that’s just a figure of speech… Anyway, it’s pretty cool. Crimson Rain Brigade. It rolls off the tongue.”
The people whispered among themselves, and soon, seemingly pleased with the name, they began to chuckle. Then, someone looked at the soldier who had interpreted the meaning of the Crimson Rain Brigade and asked.
“By the way, who are you?”
Indeed, the soldier was not a familiar face. Unlike the other soldiers who wore their uniforms haphazardly, his attire was neat, his features were sharp, and while his face was close to that of a youth, his gaze was quite solemn.
Just as the soldier opened his mouth to speak, someone else arbitrarily revealed his identity.
“He’s, he’s, what is it, from the military academy, isn’t he?”
“Military academy?”
“You know, back when we went because Devouring Ghouls invaded a town near Hanyang. He was saved then, and I think we took him in because he said he wanted to enlist.”
“Whoa… Military academy? Then is he a nobleman?”
“Ehh, a nobleman? Having a nobleman around is a bit uncomfortable…”
“I hate noblemen too. If he’s a nobleman, aren’t there plenty of other places he could go besides here?”
“True. I heard there’s a unit led by a nobleman God of War somewhere far away. Since the house is incredibly rich, he feeds his subordinates well, and he’s said to have a rounded personality for a nobleman. Everyone is desperate to get in there. Why don’t you go there?”
“Good grief. How do you know so much about that? You must want to go there yourself.”
“Aw, no. I like it here.”
“Be quiet for a second. So, is he really a nobleman?”
“Probably not. You can enter the military academy even if you’re not a nobleman. I think he’s a commoner.”
Despite the various comments directed at him, the young soldier’s expression did not change as he stepped through the crowd and stopped in front of Tae-muk. Tae-muk, with a cigarette in his mouth, continued to stare at the pouring rain regardless of his arrival.
Then, the soldier bowed deeply to Tae-muk.
“Thank you for saving me previously. I have had no opportunity until now to express my gratitude.”
Tae-muk tilted his head crookedly and looked at him. Then, he asked back in a voice utterly devoid of interest.
“I? Saved you?”
At those words, the people let out exclamations and groans simultaneously. They then patted the young soldier’s shoulders and back, comforting him.
“You have to understand. Tae-muk has saved so many people that he can’t remember them all.”
“Yeah, don’t feel bad. This guy saved me ten times by kicking me away from a Devouring Ghoul’s maw, and he still doesn’t remember. Damn bastard, would it have killed him to save me with his hands? Huh?”
But the soldier did not feel bad. Instead, he straightened his posture and spoke as if making a vow.
“It is alright. I will work hard so that you can remember me in the future.”
After that, he bowed deeply once more and stated his name clearly.
“My name is Byeonguk, Captain.”