79th Chapter Southern Training Camp (5)
The day Henderson checked the recruitment notice for soldiers, he thought, 'I want to become a part of Roman Dmitri's people.' Lawrence Square.
He could not forget what had happened there.
Henderson and others were living their ordinary days when Roman Dmitri appeared, trampling on peace.
People covered their mouths with their hands.
The notorious criminal Ben Miles was dragged in by Roman, his hair in Roman's grip, blood dripping onto the ground with each step.
And then, Roman executed Ben Miles.
He willingly stained his hands with blood, declaring he could not forgive the Blood Fang that had drained the lifeblood of Dmitri's people.
In that moment, Henderson was completely captivated.
As one of the crowd in Lawrence, he applied to join the military.
'Being a soldier doesn't require any grand qualifications, right?' That was the common thought.
He believed that since he wasn't from a great family and was merely a personal soldier of Roman Dmitri, the threshold wouldn't be too high.
But to his surprise, the reality he faced after barely passing was different.
Everyone else was far from ordinary.
Chris and Kevin, as shown in the Great Warrior battle, were skilled users of aura, and there were veteran mercenaries like Lucas and Pookie.
Henderson was the only one who could be considered a perfect commoner.
It must have started from that moment.
During training, Henderson fell into self-doubt. '...
Can I really be of help here?' In the first few weeks, Henderson wandered aimlessly.
Watching other soldiers keep up with training, he felt this was not his place.
To be honest, unlike the strong-hearted individuals who didn't flinch during the archery test right in front of them, he had been trembling as if he would wet himself.
Even now, thinking back to that time made his heart race.
In a group teeming with ferocious beasts, he felt like the only herbivore.
He pondered seriously for a while.
Eventually, Henderson approached Chris and said, “... I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m qualified to serve Lord Roman Dmitri.” It was a realistic judgment.
For the greater good, he believed this was the right thing to do.
Chris asked, “What makes you think that?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Unlike the other soldiers, I’m a beginner who doesn’t even know how to wield a sword properly. I can’t keep up with the training process, and I don’t excel in anything else either. It was an arrogant decision for someone who has lived a life of farming to step forward and follow Lord Roman Dmitri.”
“Are you saying you want to give up because you think you’re below others?”
“Yes.” If it had been before meeting Roman, Chris might have agreed with Henderson.
But now, things were different. “When I first saw Kevin, he was just a kid with venom in his eyes. Honestly, I couldn’t understand why a lord would take in a poor boy from the slums. But does Kevin still look that weak? No. In that short time, Kevin has grown into a warrior that no one can ignore.”
“... Is that really true?”
“Yes.
The funny thing is, I was the same. When I first met the lord, I rushed at him without knowing anything and lost all my front teeth. Back then, I was just a frog in a well.
And just as Kevin changed from his past to his present, I too have changed under the lord's teachings. So what are you worried about? The lord has deemed you worthy to be a soldier.
You may feel insignificant now, but just like Kevin and I experienced, you too have the potential to grow. Lord Roman Dmitri is someone who possesses the ability to make that happen.”
Thump, thump.
His heart raced.
Kevin was recognized as a unique talent.
Yet even Kevin had been nothing but a poor boy from the slums before meeting Roman. 'Can I become like that too?' He couldn't be sure.
However, hearing those examples, he felt his heart heat up.
“... To be honest, I don’t believe in myself. I’m just a farmer, and I can’t even imagine becoming strong like others, but I will trust in the lord’s judgment, as you said, Chris. The fact that he chose me among many applicants means there must be a reason. I will devote myself to training again. And I won’t come to you with such matters in the future.”
That day, Henderson changed his mind.
And from that moment on, Henderson’s life began to change.
In the past few months, Henderson had thrown himself into training as if his life depended on it.
To not be ashamed as a person of Roman.
Even if he had to vomit after training every day or faint during the process, Henderson trained fiercely to catch up with his comrades, ultimately shaping his current physique.
Therefore, seeing other soldiers who had a year to prepare, Henderson raised his voice.
“What do you think war is? When you fall into the boundary of life and death, where you must kill others to survive, will you still say you can’t fight because your preparation time was short? Pathetic fools. A year is enough time to start farming and reap the harvest. After living lazily during that time, now you’re making pathetic excuses that you don’t have enough time because you’re a conscript.”
When war begins, one must protect their own life.
Even if they were dragged in by conscription, the difference could be made depending on how hard one worked.
But what about the soldiers of other nobles? They didn’t even have the minimum qualifications.
Yet, seeing the soldiers complaining to him, Henderson sneered.
“For you who have lived without a thought for a year, today’s training may have been tough. But if you realized that you’re lacking now, shouldn’t your normal reaction be to try to catch up instead of whining to us? Why on earth are you making such ridiculous requests for us to be on the same level as you?”
Roman had said to prepare for the upcoming southern front.
Henderson and Roman's soldiers engaged in training that felt truly like combat, and while it couldn’t be said to be perfect, they were ready to accept any war that might break out.
Therefore, he could not understand the reactions of the other soldiers even more.
They were in the same space, yet they were absurdly optimistic about reality.
Henderson’s words were aggressive.
The soldiers of other nobles fell silent.
They had no words to argue against the fact that Henderson’s preparation time was less than six months.
“Bunch of idiots.” Turning away, Henderson knew that despite today’s events, they would not change, but he would continue to train passionately tomorrow and the day after.
For Lord Roman Dmitri.
Roman’s soldiers had already begun the war in their hearts.
Training continued.
Extreme physical training.
Even as the intensity increased day by day, Roman’s soldiers gritted their teeth and persevered until the end.
The gap between them and the other soldiers was severe.
Perhaps it was because of the overwhelming difference that their pride was hurt.
The nobles watching the training expressed their dissatisfaction.
“I don’t understand why they’re overdoing it like that.”
“Right? If this were the western front where battles break out at any time, it would be different, but the southern front is far from war, isn’t it? It seems like our kids are suffering because of those guys.”
“Those born lowly tend to waste their energy on meaningless things. If they don’t do something like this, how would the Dmitri family gain recognition anywhere?”
“Exactly, hahaha!”
They openly mocked Roman.
It was ridiculous.
The Southern Training Camp was famous for being a place where nobles spent two years in leisure, so why were they training so desperately here? If it were the Western Training Camp, it would be understandable.
There, one would at least receive rewards for achievements, but the Southern Training Camp did not force training on nobles in the first place.
Under the blazing sun, Roman’s face turned red.
Seeing him train alongside the soldiers, it was hard not to think he was foolish.
Among the nobles in the shade was Henry Albert.
Unlike the nobles mocking Roman, he only felt worry as he watched him.
‘...
How on earth am I supposed to win over someone like that?’ Truly, he was a peculiar individual.
If he were interested in pleasures like other nobles, he could at least find a way to strike up a conversation, but here he was, sweating unnecessarily while training on the southern front.
His thoughts were entirely different from Henry’s.
To be honest, if it weren’t for the orders from his uncle, Baron Vale, he would have been happily gossiping with the other nobles.
But he couldn’t do that.
Just thinking about being assigned to a unit with someone like that made his head ache already. ‘No, does he have some kind of safety paranoia? Would it be so bad to have a conversation and build camaraderie with fellow nobles while at the Southern Training Camp? Anyway, commoners don’t know how to relax.
Ugh, I don’t know.
It’ll work out somehow.’
He lay sprawled in the shade.
The sun was hot.
He could hear the soldiers shouting slogans from afar, but he closed his eyes in the coolness of the shade.
After a deep sleep, perhaps this tedious training would be over.
At that moment, at the first defense line of the southern front.
On the high walls, Cairo’s soldiers kept watch over the border.
“Ugh, I’m tired.”
“What happened yesterday?”
“Don’t even mention it. I played cards with the second squad all night and barely got two hours of sleep.”
The soldier’s fatigue was evident on his face.
He didn’t properly survey the border.
Glancing down to see if there were any people below the wall, he took out the canteen hanging at his waist and opened the lid.
Clink.
The smell of alcohol tickled his nose.
The soldier next to him asked in surprise, “Did you bring alcohol?”
“Of course. Is it a surprise to bring alcohol in a canteen? You need to loosen up a bit. What’s the big deal about having a drink here where no one is coming anyway? Besides, this is better for work efficiency. It’s better to have a little drink to wake up than to be too sleepy to keep an eye on the border.”
“But...”
“If you’re not going to drink, then don’t. I’ll drink alone.”
Gulp, gulp.
The soldier downed the drink.
The stimulating sensation going down his throat made him exclaim in admiration, and eventually, the soldier on duty with him couldn’t resist the urge.
“Just one sip for me.”
“Of course.”
In the southern front, this was a common sight.
Long-lasting peace had bred complacency, and even after years of service, no major issues had arisen.
However, they failed to notice what was happening.
In the thicket near the border, while they were drinking, it was shaking enough to be seen.