◈ 111. [Side Story] Old Soldier
“Jupiter.”
Jupiter turned to my voice and widened his one eye in surprise.
“No, Your Highness! What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to give you a bonus.”
I shrugged my shoulders after throwing the bag of gold coins to Jupiter.
“I had some good luck today.”
Jupiter checked the contents of the pouch and blew a whistle.
“Isn’t it too generous for an old man who is resting without work?”
“I’ve been through a lot, but that’s about it.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. Can I buy you a drink instead?”
“It’s good.”
Without refusing, I sat down next to Jupiter. Jupiter smiled like a villain.
“It’s an honor to be able to pour a drink into Your Highness’ glass.”
Pour the whiskey into a new cup and hand it to me.
Jupiter raised his cup. I also heard the mug cup.
braided-
We clinked our glasses and gulped down our drinks in silence.
“… … majesty.”
It’s time to quietly empty the glass and refill it.
Jupiter let out a long sigh.
“This old man has caused a lot of trouble to Your Highness, but I am proud that he has been of considerable help to the defense of the front lines here.”
I nodded.
“It’s okay to be proud. Because it’s true.”
“Then, Your Highness. What a rude request… … Could you please listen to the old man’s complaints?”
“Complaining?”
Jupiter was embarrassed and filled his cup.
“I feel sorry for myself, but how on earth did I live my life, in my later years like this… … There is not a single acquaintance left around to listen to my drunkenness.”
“Is it because he’s a wandering mercenary?”
“Wanderer, yes. drifter… … .”
Jupiter chewed the word wandering in his mouth for a while.
I chuckled.
“Take it easy. Complaining.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Jupiter, who had taken a sip of whiskey and slowly passed it behind his neck, opened his mouth.
“As you might have guessed, this is about my granddaughter.”
“… … .”
“It’s been 15 years, but I remember it like it was yesterday.”
Jupiter’s only eye glowed with a distant light.
“The moment I first met that child… … .”
***
15 years ago.
The Northern Front of the Everblack Empire.
A magic corps belonging to the 1st Corps of the Imperial Army. The 2nd division’s camp base.
widely. widely. widely.
Jupiter crumpled his brow as he tried to light a wet match.
A clear irritation froze in her eyes, as if they contained lightning.
“Oh, it doesn’t stick too badly.”
widely. widely. widely.
“Hey!”
Eventually, Jupiter threw the match on the floor and snapped his fingers annoyed.
Quarreung!
Lightning struck the withered tree right next to it, setting it on fire.
“Whoa… … .”
Jupiter lit a cigarette on the fire.
“I learned magic for this.”
Smoking contentedly, Jupiter exhaled smoke,
“I told you not to use magic inside the military camp, Jupiter.”
Shibijo’s voice came from the side.
When Jupiter frowned and looked around, a middle-aged female officer in uniform with black hair tied down walked over.
Commander of the 1st Division of the Imperial Magic Corps. It was Raina.
“What mad wizard in the world would light a cigarette like that?”
Jupiter chuckled, curling up the corners of his mouth.
“That’s right, this body, the captain of the 2nd Division of the Imperial Magic Corps! Jupiter puts it like this.”
“It sucks, very… … .”
As Reina grumbled and waved her hand, a gust of wind blew in and extinguished the fire in the tree.
“Give me some cigarettes.”
Reina, standing next to Jupiter, winked. Jupiter was frightened.
——————
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“Hey, am I your bong? Every time I see a fictitious me, I want a cigarette.”
“It’s been a month since the last supply of cigarettes came. You are the only one with good quality cigarettes in the entire Magic Corps.”
“I saved this much because I smoked sparingly. I can’t give it anyway!”
When Jupiter refused, Reina suddenly put her hands together and raised her voice.
“Ah~ don’t do that, just give me one~”
“This shit… … baby girl! Don’t get old and do that.”
Jupiter, frightened by Reina’s low-quality aegyo, handed over the cigarette he was holding in his mouth.
“Take a taste of cigarettes lighted by lightning.”
“Can’t I just give you a new one?”
“This is a joke. nothing more.”
“This old woman smokes straw throughout her military life, what?”
In the end, Jupiter and Reina lit a cigarette alternately.
The soldiers who came and went saluted the two as they smoked cigarettes and cursed at each other.
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!”
“Uh~ Loyalty.”
“Loyalty, loyalty~”
The two women smoked cigarettes like gangsters in a relaxed attitude, but the soldiers looked at them with respect.
The two aces of the Imperial Magic Corps.
Blade Wind Reina. Thunderbolt Jupiter.
It was entirely thanks to these two tops that the Imperial Magic Corps had a prominent position within the Imperial Army.
For the past 20 years since the establishment of the Magic Corps, the Imperial Army has been undefeated in battles involving two wizards.
After the greetings and baptism of the soldiers, when the surroundings became quiet, Jupiter spoke to Reina.
“It came to my mind when I received respectful greetings from my sons, hey. The other unit commanders all have so many scars on their faces. My face just got burned.”
“huh? what… … It’s because everyone got promoted after doing a bit of knife fighting on the set.”
“But all of our wizards, let alone scars, didn’t get sunburnt on their faces, so they all looked white.”
Jupiter had a clean face despite serving in the military all his life.
Reina looked sideways at Jupiter and smiled.
“The role of a wizard in a war these days is like that. If the headquarters gives you the coordinates, bombing and you’re done.”
The Imperial Army Headquarters seemed to think of wizards as good cannons.
And the actual work wasn’t that different.
Chewing on a cigarette, Jupiter nodded.
“What is it? It’s our job to rain magic safely from afar. Intelligent, gentle. I like my job.”
“But why? What are you complaining about?”
“Anyway, as a captain, it seems that his dignity is a bit low. Every time a meeting is called, it seems that the other unit commanders are subtly ignoring it.”
Jupiter ran a finger under his left eye.
“So I want to draw a tattoo next time.”
“It sucks, really… … hey. The reason you get ignored in meetings is because you always hit Joe.”
“Eiger, it seems like you’ve been johned once, and how many times do you give me a face mask? Siftal.”
“Because it was a meeting that His Majesty the Emperor John Ge directly observed you! You poor bastard!”
The two wizards started bickering again, but the adjutant came running from the other side.
“Captain Reina! Captain Jupiter!”
“Uh~ I’m listening. What is it?”
“I got a call from headquarters. At the foot of the mountain to the north of this base, they say they found a facility that appears to be a military base for the Kingdom of Camilla.”
The 1st Corps of the Imperial Army was currently invading the small kingdom of Camilla.
The war was in its final stages, but sporadic resistance continued.
The magic corps was carrying out a messy and boring mission to clean up the scattered guerrillas of the Camilla kingdom.
“What kind of ant nest is it? Even if I erase and erase it, it pops out again. Whoa.”
Jupiter, who was yawning profusely, was handed a telegram from the headquarters by the adjutant.
“Tomorrow at 05:00, the two of you are instructed to strike a salvo.”
“You really like going into operations at dawn, our headquarters… … Anyway, tell me you know. If you want to, you have to, what.”
Jupiter, who crumpled the telegram paper roughly into his pocket, smiled at Reina.
“Hey, Reina. After this war, shall we go on a trip to the South together?”
Rayna shuddered.
“What kind of a trip are you two over 50-somethings, disgusting.”
“What’s up? It’s going to be cool with two rich and talented gold misses. do you know Young and hot men! Will I be able to catch it?”
“Hey, they have eyes too… … .”
“hey. Because I only serve in the cold and shady North, my thoughts keep getting negative. Let’s not do that and go to the warm South just once.”
Jupiter giggled.
“When I retire, I will definitely live in the South. Lie down in a resort filled with swimming pool water and bask in the hot sun.”
“… … .”
Reina, who listened to Jupiter’s absurd retirement plans, also smiled.
“Yes, whether to travel or buy a resort after retirement… … . Anyway, let’s go to the South at least once before we die.”
The story was as far from reality as the distance from the front here to the South.
The two wizards giggled like that for a long while as they talked about retirement and old age.
***
next day. 4:30 in the morning.
Jupiter, who was looking through the telescope at the operation point instructed by the headquarters, frowned.
“hey. Is that a military base?”
Reina, who was drinking hot tea with a sleepy face, huh? She made a noise and she looked that way.
“why. Isn’t it like a military base?”
“Is it just a village? How does it look to you?”
Taking the telescope, Reina tilted her head.
“hmm… … I’m not sure. For a military base, there are no cannons or weapons in sight.”
Jupiter instructed the adjutant.
“Contact Command. Please check once more if this is a military base.”
“yep.”
The adjutant sent a dispatch to headquarters.
After a while, the pabal came back, and the adjutant who heard the story reported.
“According to the judgment of the command, the military base is certain.”
“… … .”
“Camilla’s guerilla tactics are vicious, and they often disguise themselves as civilians. The command judged that the village was already occupied by guerrillas.”
“I see… … .”
The adjutant who checked the pocket watch on his chest nodded.
“It is 30 seconds before 05:00. We will count until the start of the operation.”
“… … .”
“30, 29, 28… … .”
Jupiter, who was staring north with a furrowed brow, glanced to the side. Reina was already gathering her mana in her hands.
Reina’s eyes met, and she smiled faintly.
“Let’s go on vacation to the south?”
“… … .”
“Then we should take care of it quickly, Captain of the 2nd Division?”
“Ten seconds left until the operation begins! 10! 9! 8! 7!”
After quietly listening to the count down, with 5 seconds left, Jupiter began to collect lightning bolts in both hands.
Pachichi rule… … !
Command’s judgment was always correct.
And this is what he has been doing all his life.
Execute when ordered. because it is a soldier
Curling… … .
Huge dark clouds gathered in the sky,
“3! 2! One!”
The count is over.
Quagmire and light!
Dozens of lightning bolts summoned by Jupiter rained down on the enemy’s military base.
Buildings swept away by bright yellow lightning collapsed, caught fire and burned.
In an instant, everything was reduced to ashes.
Then, a huge tornado called by Reina exploded on the remaining debris.
***
“Operation is over. Both captains have worked hard.”
The adjutant confirmed the complete destruction of the military base.
“Now, the medium and long-term knights will rush in and clear the enemy base and investigate. You two can go back to base.”
“… … .”
Jupiter, who had been staring at the enemy camp he had burned, suddenly murmured.
“I want to go.”
“what?”
“Hey, I’ll have to go see it myself.”
The frightened Rayna stopped.
“The Magic Corps is prohibited from approaching the site. We are thoroughly specialized in long-range firefights. You know why?”
“… … .”
“If we went there for no reason and were ambushed by the remnants of the enemy, the fighting power of our corps would decrease… … .”
“I want to go.”
“Hey, Jupiter!”
Reina tried to stop him, but Jupiter was reckless. She was already running up the hillside.
“Hey, grab that.”
Reina looked back at the soldiers around her and shouted urgently.
“catch! hurry!”
However, who dares to catch and stop the wizard?
Roughly pushing back the soldiers who were trying to block it, Jupiter finally entered the enemy’s base.
Only embers remained in the burnt-black village. everything was in ruins
Jupiter approached the charred corpses cautiously.
There were no weapons in his arms. He was holding a doll instead.
“… … You are a child.”
Jupiter’s legs began to tremble. Jupiter staggered across the ruined village.
Let alone soldiers, even young male corpses were rare.
An old man with a hunched back and small children were reduced to ashes, hugging each other.
“citizen… … Only civilians.”
The realization of what he had done later climbed up his spine and made the back of his neck stiff.
“You crazy bastards! There was no armed force here!”
Jupiter howled at the soldiers who rushed into the village after him.
“entire… … All old and young!”
