159. Chapter 159 – Brothers
The house in which Takakura Raizou spent most of his second life as Walm didn’t even retain its original form. All that remained were the burnt beams and the stone material that served as the foundation for the columns. Charred building materials, remnants of his home, stuck to the soles of his half-boots as he walked.
Nothing to be surprised about. Such was not enough to harm him in any way. After all, it was none other than Walm himself who set his home, his hometown on fire, and he was ready to accept this fact. However, that didn’t mean he had nothing to worry about. Right at this moment, the bane of his life was having a conversation with his eldest brother, Haze.
Moving from the tombstone, both sat down on the old stone block in sight. And now, looking at each other.
In a sense, Walm had been in the military for over two years. He had a lot to say and a lot to ask. Yet no words came out of his mouth, as if his throat were clogged with mud.
Though two people were present, silence still reigned in the village. Perhaps, that was what they needed, at least for a while.
Nevertheless, Walm had already bravely endured so many bloodbaths, to be so pathetic at the reunion with his brother wasn’t what he expected of himself. And strangely enough, his lips felt so terribly dry right now, as if they were sticking together and not letting anything out.
Controlling his slightly rough breathing, Walm finally made up his mind as he swallowed down his saliva── only to find that he was slightly slow.
“Hey Walm… Remember? The time when Rood ate too many (tuberous) roots we dug up together, then he got an upset stomach…?” [TN: most likely, sweet potato, or something like that]
As if he happened to remember an old story, Haze talked to Walm about past, ordinary daily life.
Luckily, there was no need to dig for such a memory, for such an eventful memory was engraved in Walm’s mind. Not to mention that he would never forget his second eldest brother’s name.
“Right, such a thing did happen. If I remember correctly, not only that he ate too many, he secretly had them though undercooked, guess that must be another reason?”
Playing in the forest was often directly linked to searching for food. That said, the appearance of digging up the ground without missing even the slightest ivy would be enough to embarrass any hunting dog. Of course, even though they proudly proclaimed themselves the better dogs, they were still young at this point, at best they were like a group of pups.
“Haha, must be. And, he sure groaned with a stupid face there. Letting out such a pathetic voice that echoed through the forest, the adults then came to see what was going on.”
Having a dog’s nose but pouncing like a cat whenever there was food to be had, of course, the price of snitching food from the other brothers was high. Rood not only made a groan reminiscent of a wounded beast, but he also ended up in a situation where he kept leaking out various things in the grass.
Walm was stunned by his second eldest brother’s shameful behavior, but on the advice of the adults who came to help, the search for food turned into a search for medicinal herbs to ease the stomach pain. What an unexpected aftermath, but such was life.
Following the flow set up by his eldest brother, Walm also spoke of the past that came to his mind.
“……Speaking of Rood, even when he went to beat up those jokes… those naughty brats from the nearby village, he also hit the jackpot at that time.”
The conversation progressed without a hitch, as if the stagnation Walm felt just a few minutes ago was a lie.
“If I remember correctly, it was Fugo’s group, right? They threw goblin’s shit right in Rood’s face, making him so angry.”
“Hahaha, then when he chased after them, this time he slipped on the shit, and his whole body ended up covered with stinky smell.”
“Makes you wonder, what did they eat for their shit to stink so much.”
Starting with childhood memories, the conversation between brothers continued.
For some reason, most of them were about the past. Not something to be complained about.
After all, on the battlefield, Walm had no time to think about the past, and when there was no more war, no one left with whom he could share his memories. The opportunity should be lost forever. It should be. And yet now he was laughing at the top of his lungs next to someone dear to him. Truly, what a bliss.
After talking for an hour or two, the conversation was stopped again. Not that they ran out of things to say. It was because they understood that they had to have a real conversation with each other, so they prepared themselves.
And the one who ignited the spark was, once again, Haze.
“Walm, after you and Fugo’s group were drafted into the military, the village was, kinda desolate… Though it was customary for the second son, or those younger to become a soldier, there wasn’t a day when I didn’t regret sending you off. It should have been me, the eldest. I should have been the one. Really.”
Though knowing that this option would lead to a hard life, Haze’s words didn’t sound fake at all. Strong enough to make Walm believe those words came from the bottom of his heart.
Not only that, the present Haze had a vibe that set him apart from the eldest brother in Walm’s memories. The atmosphere and expression that surrounded him now, and his eyes that looked as if they were gazing into the distance── Walm recognized them. These features were typical of someone who had experienced the cruel battlefields as a soldier. The wounds on the different parts of the body, which had increased by at least one size, had to come from not just one, but many battles.
Walm seen from Haze’s perspective should look the same. And it was precisely because they had guessed each other, that they had avoided saying anything about what had happened to the village and their families until now. As a soldier, and also as a brother, they were really alike.
Before Walm could say anything, Haze opened his tightly closed mouth and continued with his words.
“……At that time, Highserk won a number of battles. After they won against the Four-Country Alliance in the battle for Sarajevo Fortress, the Imperial Capital was brimming with joy, totally in a victorious mood. That said, for a peasant like me, that didn’t mean much…… It’s going to end like this, or this, so those veteran elders making predictions on the ground instead of paper. I mean, they couldn’t even see the real thing and yet, so worked up like that……”
Haze’s voice was getting lower and lower in volume.
“ “That day”. Right, “that day”. While I was carrying the harvested crops to town with the young people of the village… we were attacked by a swarm of monsters. The country must have been in chaos at that time, since the village, we, received no information beforehand.”
For many Highserk citizens, “that day” marked an irreversible turning point for their country, hometown, and family. What it meant was the day of the Great Outbreak.
“For self-defense, each of us at least had an axe or a hatchet. That said, in front of such a fierce wave of raging monsters, it was like stroking a fierce river with a twig…… In no time, the surrounding area became silent. It was so chaotic that I couldn’t tell if it was my blood or someone else’s blood that was flowing on the ground… Then, I saw Rood lying in the shade of a tree. He had a few wounds, but he looked like he was sleeping. Again, and again, I called him, asking him to wake up quickly… But time passed without him ever waking up. Perhaps, his vital spot had been hit, so I went to his side… That’s when I realized that, he was dead.”
Faced with the death of his brother, whom he could no longer see, Walm carefully chewed on each word and listened without saying anything.
“After hiding his body, I ran to the village. I couldn’t mourn him properly, and that guilt kept following me. I wanted to, really, but I had to warn the others of the danger and protect the village… I was relieved when I saw some figures. I made it in time… or so I believed. But in reality, I was too late. The monsters had rushed in and turned the village into part of the Demon Territory. Sure there were a lot who were still moving… but they weren’t human, not anymore. Our uncle, father, mother……”
Even if Haze didn’t like it, these memories had to run through his mind.
Seeing the stuttering Haze, Walm opened his mouth, only to immediately close it again. He understood that his brother hadn’t stopped talking yet, and should be given the time.
“Then, I ran without knowing left or right. At that time, all in my mind was to survive, I just didn’t want to die. That’s all. Even the strangers I met along the way were all the same, they didn’t understand the situation. All we knew was that, the Imperial Capital side was dangerous… We continued our escape, taking casualties and stragglers. How many monsters we had killed, no one had time to count, we were all busy surviving.”
Before returning to his hometown, Walm became a straggler at Dandurg Castle. And now the sights he had witnessed during the rout to his hometown came to his mind one after another.
The defensive line that had been established in advance was clearly overrun by the Flame Emperor Dragon. Not only that, the roads and chain of command were also destroyed. The traces of the battle showed that there were clashes in various places, but unfortunately, the organized resistance was the one that lost.
“When we saw endless monsters blocking our way, the movement of the motley group, so to speak, came to a halt. We were all prepared for annihilation. One mother of a child even asked me to kill them, as that would be better than getting eaten by monsters. She begged me to kill them, crazy… Not only her, even I almost went crazy… But in the end, I didn’t swing the sword. No, that’s not it. I couldn’t swing. I believe, at that time, I still hadn’t made up my mind…… Then, you know what, I thought I really went crazy, I mean, something unbelievable came. The help… But when I saw the monsters being wiped out, I couldn’t feel joy, nothing, I just, stood there in silence…… Since then, I joined the army and have been killing monsters for a year and a half. Now I understand… No, I guess what I experienced was still lukewarm, but still… Walm, I’ve never not regretted sending you to the battlefield. I’m sorry, really. I’m sorry.”
Said Haze as if he were repentant.
To accept it at once would require various emotions, good or bad, to make an appearance. And that would be mentally exhausting. It was simply impossible to organize everything in a short time. Nevertheless, Walm gave a response. Right. He revealed what he felt with honesty.
“What’s done is done. It’s all belong to the past. There was also the custom of the military in our country and the poverty of our family. And in the end, someone had to go. But, even if I could go back in time, I wouldn’t push that role to someone else… Besides, I also did a lot of nasty and terrible things on the battlefield. I’m not in a position to criticize.”
Tapping his brother on the shoulder, Walm smiled awkwardly.
“I’m so pathetic. Who’s the older brother, you or me? I don’t know anymore.”
“I’ll take that as a flattery. By the way, are you in the Eastern Army?”
A year and a half after being far away from Highserk, of course, Walm was curious about which Army his brother had joined.
Hearing Walm’s question, Haze’s complexion changed dramatically. How unexpected.
“……No.”
In response to the words of denial, Walm mentioned the remaining regional force.
“Then, the Southern Army?”
The expression on his brother’s face suggested that he belonged to neither the Eastern Army nor the Southern Army.
Haze then spoke as if to soothe the confused Walm.
“Walm, listen carefully. The unit that saved us… wasn’t Highserk.”
“Haze, no way…”
“It was, Liberitoa.”
Their eyes crossed, and at the same moment, the air, which was so warm, became so cold in an instant. Moreover, there was a feeling that the properties also changed. For Walm, the cold air felt so sharp, as if it wanted to pierce his whole body, as if it wanted to pierce his heart.
TN : Just to let you all know, I’ve finally edited all of the chs of Arc 1 (Prologue – 70). Should be nicer for re-read now.
TN: Join my discord channel if you want.
JUST LET MY BOI BE HAPPY