episode_0247

“At around 4:00 AM today, a large army of 50,000 demons broke down the northwest area of the barrier and began to move south.”

Hwayang Hall, where all the students gathered. A high-ranking officer wearing military uniform continued to brief them on the current situation. The scene projected on the projector was filled with countless red dots representing the Demon Tribe.

“This is an unprecedented large-scale invasion. This is why the front line was breached even though we were prepared for an attack. Currently, our military is blocking key points and responding, and a general mobilization order has already been issued for all regions of the Republic.”

There was a slight stir here and there at the number 50,000 that was heard. The officer’s voice became more powerful as if trying to put him to sleep.

“According to Article 3, Paragraph 5 of the Cradle Establishment Regulations, you here are now soldiers belonging to the Unified Command. You will soon be assigned an identification number, and as soon as you are ready, you will head to the battlefield. Now, keep in mind that military law will be applied more strictly, so prepare your body and mind and wait for the order… ”

A brief briefing followed at a brisk pace. After the officer finished his explanation and left, the students gathered in small groups and chatted.

Soon, the heated air, messily, enters my nostrils.

The atmosphere was equally hostile. There was more excitement than fear in their voices.

Demons, demons who live beyond the barrier, beasts filled with malice even to the core.

They are the official arch-enemy of the Republic system. They are evil creatures who trample the North whenever they have a chance, and even teach magic and black magic to non-magicians, causing chaos at the bottom of society.

I still often recall a story I heard from a religious person in my village when I was young.

He said that the origin of the Demons was from the non-believers who lived in the northern lands in the past. Then, the god, enraged by their ugliness, dropped a sacred star and with its power transformed the non-believers into ugly beasts with horns and fur.

The origin of black magic also coincided with their birth. Because the demons had incurred the wrath of the gods, they were unable to use magic, which was a power imbued with grace, and eventually came to depend on black magic, a power of predestined destruction.

To me, it seemed like a pretty plausible story when I was young. Of course, now I know that it was a religious viewpoint that was far from the truth.

In fact, the true identity of the Demons is that they are humans just like us. From what I saw in anatomy class, their organs and ours are all identical.

The academic consensus was that the Demon Race was a group of humans whose genes were distorted due to mutations caused by exposure to a large amount of particles due to being unlucky enough to be close to the point of destruction.

He said that there are sightings of similar mutants all over the world. Magi and black magic are simply means to manipulate particles with twisted bodies.

On the other hand, we were lucky enough to be far from the crash site, so we only made moderate mutations, and thanks to that we were able to learn how to handle particles in a more stable way.

Well, hearing their sad story didn’t diminish my hatred for them. It was just an academic approach, and it was definitely separate from the evil deeds the beasts had committed.

I personally detest them terribly. They were the very same beasts that burned down our village and brutally trampled our people two years ago.

Since the leader took me in, I have killed countless demons in the northeast, but the sadness and emptiness are already too much to fill.

“A silver medal for ten soldiers, a medal for fifty soldiers… ”

“2nd class bells are worth three or more… ”

“Then how much is the pension…? Even if you only receive one medal of honor… ”

Usually, those who have these conversations are students who were recommended and came from the outskirts based on their abilities. Military service is an essential element for success. In the first place, if we graduate from the cradle, we are supposed to serve in the military for several times longer and build up our major.

However, this time, that time has arrived sooner. The original purpose of the cradle was to train magicians who could project force, and that was also the education we received.

Even the first-year students who hadn’t even completed half of the semester were showing their enthusiasm. It goes without saying that the second-year students, who had a curriculum a year ahead of their time, and the third-year students who had already been deployed to the battlefield were even more so.

However, it remains to be seen whether that enthusiasm is true courage or just the boasting of the inexperienced.

“The time has come. I thought this day would come someday.”

A large hand rested on his shoulder. Choi Woo-jin, a large male student, bumped fists together while blowing out breath.

He was showing off his competitive spirit without any filter.

“What are you thinking about?”

“The idea of playing it as it is.”

Choi Woo-jin laughed heartily at the blunt response.

“There’s no way around it. To rise to a key position in the future military, you need at least double-digit combat experience.”

“You were aspiring to be a guard?”

“Isn’t that obvious? You’re better in terms of aptitude. Anyway, my older sister will take care of the family.”

Choi Woo-jin shrugs his shoulders after hearing what I said.

“And that’s a compliment to me. Well, isn’t it better than playing the opposite of what you look like?”

“Are you talking to me? How do you know what I look like?”

“It’s obvious. He must look like a pitiful parasite brother. That’s why the two seniors are fighting like that.”

“… ”

Looking at the other students who were born into prestigious families, they didn’t seem to be particularly averse to war. Rather, they shared a similar sense of empathy with the students from earlier.

This is because it is more about personal and family honor than financial compensation. As Choi Woo-jin said, military service is essential for those who want to become high-ranking members of the military or the Supreme Council in the future…

“Hee, eek… ”

Of course, there seemed to be exceptions. One of the boys was chewing his fingernails with a pale face.

“Isn’t that right, Kook Jae-ryong? You too need to get rid of your family’s lackey status… Ah, what is it!”

“Wow, wow… ”

Choi Woo-jin approached him and laughed heartily, hitting his back hard. Soon, a retching sound and the sound of vomiting were heard.

***

I left Hwayangwan and headed to the dormitory. I didn’t have much luggage, but I needed to at least do a little organizing.

My head was a mess, but now I was starting to get some sense of the situation.

He only has two months left to live anyway. In that case, wouldn’t it be a more honorable end to die on the battlefield?

Of course, it’s better than a horrible death where your whole body falls apart.

Wouldn’t that be a better way to repay the captain and Heukryeon who took me in?

In this situation, Yeon-i and Yeon-min-ha will soon be out of the disciplinary room. Compared to a large-scale war, a love drama is just a minor quarrel.

And if I ever face them… then I’ll have no choice but to tell them the truth.

I don’t think persuading them will be easy. But it’s also true that I have to make them understand somehow… Damn it.

“Sigh… ”

I let out a sigh along with the curse. It was a problem that I couldn’t find an answer to even after thinking about it, so it was understandable.

The new dormitory, which was filled with thoughts that were puffing up like balloons, was right in front of me. As I was about to go in, I was momentarily overcome by a strange sensation.

“Huh… ?”

My gaze, which had stopped in my tracks, was fixed on one point. There was something lying halfway up the stairs in front of the dormitory.

What was there was something alien, something that didn’t fit in with the surrounding scenery.

Soon I could see that it was a bloody human arm.

Judging from the direction in which the fingers were broken, it was a right arm. The scars carved here and there and the broken pieces of the particle bomb suit showed that the owner of the arm was a soldier.

The trembling did not go away. It was because I clearly knew the owner of this arm.

The arm that always held the blade and fought with me, the arm that would fist my head whenever it got the chance, the arm that hesitated to pat my head as I was leaving for the cradle but couldn’t bring itself to do so.

And now, an arm was thrown down the stairs like a sacrifice to heresy.

The thing in front of me was the captain’s right arm.

“But, captain… ”

I picked it up blankly. The feeling of death, frozen hard without any warmth, was clearly conveyed.

In contrast to the dilated pupils, the field of vision was extremely narrow. A cold sweat poured down my entire body as an ominous feeling flowed down my back.

What suddenly came to mind was the vivid nightmare from last night.

“Why is this… here… ”

-You’re finally here?

And then I hear someone’s voice behind me. It’s very blurry, like it’s mixed with noise.

I turned around to see who the voice belonged to. It was a white crow sitting on the fence railing with an empty neck.

The headless crow’s talons were covered in dark red bloodstains. It was clear that the crow had carried its master’s arm all the way here.

-How is my gift? Do you like it?

And then, with a spurt of blood, a voice came out of the empty throat of the crow.

-I told you.

It was a voice I knew well. I had met this arrogant and contemptuous person before.

-I will send you a reply soon.