Kays Translations

Chapter 297: Stepping Forward Boldly

He must have been in his late twenties. At first glance, he seemed like a friendly guy, but upon closer inspection, there was a dark gleam deep within his eyes, contrasting with his affixed smile.

Visible through his rolled-up sleeves and loosely open collar were deep scars. Without a doubt, he was a survivor from the hell of the battlefield.

A man named Heinz, eagerly listening to Josel’s story, prompted Josel to engage earnestly with someone for the first time in a while.

“Oh, it’s great, isn’t it! A knightly order not for the convenience of nobles, but to protect the people!”

“Do you dislike nobles?” 

Gerhardt asked.

Heinz, regretting his slip of the tongue, answered reluctantly, realizing he couldn’t take it back now.

“I wouldn’t say I dislike nobles, but I do dislike fighting for them.”

“Hmm, there seems to be some backstory there. If you don’t mind, please tell us. No, please, I’d really like to hear. I want to know more about you.” 

Josel leaned in eagerly.

“…It’s not exactly a pleasant story to hear, you know? It’s nothing I need to hide, though.”

“I don’t mind; please, go ahead.”

Despite finding Josel unexpectedly forceful, Heinz began to speak hesitantly.

“Before I was conscripted, I worked as a lumberjack. I lived in a small village of about thirty people.”

Lutz lightly groaned and nodded. He had been trying to figure out who Heinz reminded him of from earlier.

“So, after the war ended, I bought a little souvenir and returned home, only to find nobody—no family, no acquaintances. Instead, bandits had taken over. They slaughtered my entire family, haha.”

Heinz let out a dry laugh. Josel and the others fell silent, unsure how to react. They regretted asking such a casual question, but they couldn’t stop now. It seemed only polite to listen to the end.

“I killed those bandits on the spot, but then I found myself lost in thought. During the war, they said our hardships were because of the Allied forces, and that killing savages would pave the way to our future. I didn’t really believe it.”

Heinz sighed deeply. It seemed he was struggling to voice something dark from deep within.

“But when the war ended and I returned home, it wasn’t the Allied forces who had killed my family—it was local bandits. If we put so much effort into fighting wars, it’s no wonder law and order within our own borders slackened. It’s only natural. I started to wonder what I had been fighting for. Everything went dark in front of me.”

With eyes that seemed to peer into the depths of a muddy river, Heinz wore a faint smile on his face. It was an unsettling and unbalanced sight.

“I couldn’t bear to stay in the village anymore, and with no direction, I wandered until I ran out of money. Some of us turned to banditry to survive, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that, especially after what happened earlier.”

Lutz and the others exchanged complex looks. Those who turned to banditry—it was where everything had begun.

“While catching birds and frogs, eating wild plants until I got diarrhea, I heard a rumor. They said the princess had created a village for returning soldiers.”

Heinz gestured to the ground beneath him, indicating this place.

“At the time, I thought there was no way such a good deal existed, but if I continued living like this I would only end up dying in the wilderness one day, so I thought dying on the remains of a battlefield wouldn’t be so bad, so I stumbled along, munching on some dried frog meat. Looking back on it now, I was clearly a suspicious person, hahaha.”

“I don’t think that’s funny…”

“It’s in the past, so just laugh about it. So I came to this nostalgic border, and lo and behold, our Valhalla really did exist. There was a girl with beautiful black hair stirring a huge pot, so I went over to her, and she poured me some barley porridge into a wooden bowl and said, ‘Welcome home.'”

Heinz wiped his eyes with his fingers. It was hard to tell whether he was serious or acting.

“I accepted the bowl and just burst out crying like a pathetic mess. It was as if they had accepted me as someone who was allowed to be here and that it was okay for me to be alive. I’ll never forget for the rest of my life how delicious the damn awful barley porridge I ate then was.”

Lutz glanced at Josel, who was holding back tears, seemingly always vulnerable to such stories.

Clap! Heinz clapped his hands and forced a bitter smile. He looked like he had let out more shame than intended.

“So, I became a member of this village and have been here ever since. Well, it’s a boring story, isn’t it?”

Josel shook his head and firmly grasped Heinz’s hand.

“Thank you for sharing that with us. Thanks to you, I feel like I understand you a little better.”

“Oh, uh, sure… Thanks…”

“But is it really okay? If you come to the Count’s domain, you’ll naturally have to leave behind the princess who saved you.”

“I’m not really that useful staying here. If anything, I might work somewhere else and send support when I can.”

“I see, I see! Loyalty isn’t just about being by someone’s side; that’s what you mean!”

Josel’s forwardness was a bit overwhelming, and Heinz seemed somewhat reserved in response.

“Let me ask you again. I want you to come to the Count’s domain and help me. I won’t call it a utopia, but let’s create a world where people can live in peace!”

“Creating a world, huh? I don’t mind such grand ideas.”

“I’m serious.”

“I’m liking you more and more.”

With these words, they grinned at each other. It seemed they were satisfied that things would work out well.

“We finally have one companion. Thinking we have to repeat this nine more times is a bit daunting,”

 Gerhardt grumbled wearily.

“Don’t worry, I’ll join in on persuading from the next one onwards.” 

Heinz assured confidently.

His involvement had a significant effect. Persuasion went smoothly with someone in the same position intervening, and when there were those interested but hesitant, Heinz’s brief whisper would sway their hearts.

Progress was so smooth that it made them wonder what all the previous struggles had been for, and in just under two hours, they managed to scout nine people.

“Alright, alright, great job! With this, the establishment of the Second Knight Order has made significant progress!”

 Josel exclaimed joyfully, clenching his fists. The dream he had almost given up on due to various constraints of his upbringing was now beginning to seem realistic.

“Thank you, Heinz. You really saved us! By the way, when you were persuading them, what were you whispering to them?”

“Oh, that? It’s nothing much…”

Heinz answered while stroking his stubble.

“I told them they could have some fun in the Count’s domain.”

“Um, what?”

The abrupt shift in the conversation left Josel bewildered. Weren’t they just talking about dreams, ideals, and peace?

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter