We had been walking on steep, rugged roads for a full three hours. Well everyone except the duke and the royal knights at the front. They were moving slowly on horseback.
As my legs began to feel like jelly, I tried to figure out where we were heading by looking at the map in my hand.
Thud-crash!
The sounds came from behind me and I immediately turned my head.
The scrawny kid was tumbling down the slope.
Everyone watched him anxiously, like it was some kind of TV show. No one even thought about helping. He rolled quite a distance.
Spinning like a top, screaming all the while, he made the soldiers behind him retreat one by one as they saw him coming. Eventually, he slammed into a rock and finally stopped.
"HIAAAAGH!"
That shrill, almost girlish scream made everyone burst into laughter.
Especially the dark skinned girl. She was holding her stomach, laughing uncontrollably.
Since the idiot men in the mercenary unit didn't bother to help, I took a few steps forward, reached him, bent down, and held out my hand.
He shot me an ugly glare and slapped my hand away.
Groaning, he tried to stand up, brushing the dust off his clothes.
He didn't seem seriously injured, but his elbow was covered in blood.
"Are you sure you don't want help? Your arm looks like it's bleeding," I said.
He immediately turned his arm to look at it, his face twisting in disgust at the sight of blood. He opened his mouth to ask for something:
"Do you have a bandage?"
…
Night had fallen, and the exhaustion of traveling all day weighed heavily on us.
This was our resting place a wide open area.
Large military tents were being set up by the attendants. We helped by lifting heavy equipment.
Our stomachs were making harmonious noises like a marching band. These giant men must be starving.
I sat on a rock, catching my breath.
The camp's comedians had positioned themselves right in front of me, engaging in their usual playful banter.
Until the food was distributed, I decided to read the secret romantic novel hidden in my bag.
"The Crimson Rose Amid War."
Reading a novel within a novel felt incredibly strange.
It told the story of a poor girl who is forcibly taken into war as a servant and eventually falls in love with the commander in chief.
There were 20 chapters, and each one talked about a rule.
The scenes were cliché but whatever, I'll take it.
"If a girl joins a war, there are 20 rules she must follow to survive. The first and most important rule: don't fall in love! If you do, a war will break out inside you as well. Fighting on two fronts will only exhaust you."
I grinned. It actually sounded right. I was really curious who the author was seemed like someone totally my kind of person.
"Hey, rookie! Get in line for food!"
I jumped at Chimchim's voice, quickly closed my little guilty pleasure, and joined the line which was three or four times longer than the lunch lines back at school.
I was so far back that even standing around doing nothing felt exhausting.
People started chatting with those in front of and behind them. I listened to their conversations for a while.
"Hehehe, one time during battle I lost my sword had nothing to attack with. When the enemy started walking toward me, I thought it was the end. Then Duke Heilon appeared behind him, covered in blood like the Grim Reaper, and took his head off in a single strike. I don't know how many liters of blood splashed onto my face. The light in the Duke's dark blue eyes was gone like he enters a trance on the battlefield. A real Grim Reaper."
Everyone had war stories like that, similar to military anecdotes. It made me shiver a little.
The tall man standing straight in front of me hadn't said a single word. His clothes looked strange too. I tapped him from behind to start a conversation.
But he didn't turn, as if he hadn't felt it. I poked him harder and raised my voice.
"Hey!"
Still no response.
What an annoying guy! Is talking to me really that bad?
My curiosity has always gotten me into trouble, and now I desperately wanted to see this man's face.
I suddenly moved to the side but he turned his head away and stepped out of the line.
"W-why are you leaving? You waited all that time. Don't go!" I shouted after him.
People behind me pushed me forward.
This made no sense. Why was he so disturbed by me?
I left the line and chased after him.
Ahh, food! I didn't get to eat! Damn it. If only I'd stayed put like a good kid! But now, finding out who this man was felt like the only way to put my mind at ease.
When he realized I was following him, he quickened his pace. I walked faster. Then he sped up even more until suddenly, we were running.
He was fast, but in my male body, I was more than capable of keeping up.
I felt like a jaguar hunting its prey in the forest. We darted between the trees. When the distance between us began to close, I made a huge leap and threw myself at him.
I must've gotten too carried away.
We tumbled together on the ground.
Thud-crash!
We rolled over rocks, scraping ourselves, and barely managed to stop.
Our breathing was rapid.
"Hah! I finally caught you!"
I was on top of him, pinning him down with my arms. I turned my head and looked closely at his face.
"WHAAAT?! What are you doing here?!"
The face I saw completely shocked me.
"…What are you doing here?"
"Laoron!!"
The shock on my face spilled straight into my voice.
He slipped the ring off my finger.
My long black hair was suddenly freed, dancing in the wind and falling over my face.
The lightness and delicacy of my female body after being in a male one made me feel like a bird.
He flashed that bright smile of his and said,
"Seeing you like this for now would make our situation less awkward than if you stayed in your male form."
"What are you talking about?! Give the ring back. What if I get caught?!" I snapped.
"Here? Do you have any idea how far we ran? We're deep in the forest now. Going back won't be easy " he said.
I looked around suddenly. We were surrounded by tall trees that all looked exactly the same.
"When are you getting off me, hunter?" he said.
Flustered and embarrassed, I immediately rolled to the side and stared at his face, waiting for an explanation.
"Well then… I always knew I'd be caught eventually, but I never imagined it would be this fast. And why did you get behind me of all things? I was even praying you wouldn't catch me while I was resisting the food line. Anyway we're here now, so I might as well explain why I came" he said, leaning back against a tree and sitting down.
I followed his movements with my eyes, waiting for him to continue.
"All right. I'm actually a royal knight affiliated with the Mages' Guild. But I didn't have to join this war. A few months ago, I resigned to continue my career in trade and focus on producing new magical items. The captain barely accepted my resignation so when he saw me return, he practically jumped on me like you did and accepted me immediately" he said with a mocking grin.
"Why did you come back?" I asked.
A part of me wondered if it was for me but that sounded too fairy tale like.
"I love wars. It's been a while since I last killed someone thought I'd show off my skills a bit" he said.
"Ugh," I rolled my eyes.
Then he burst out laughing. "Messing with you is so much fun! Who actually likes war anyway what kind of lunatic would that be?!"
Puahaha*
Okay. That was enough for me.
I'd exhausted myself for nothing over this secretly talented comedian.
With an irritated expression, I stood up and picked branches and leaves out of my hair. After a few steps, I started heading back the way we came.
"For you" he said.
His voice was emotional, hesitant.
I turned around and looked straight into his eyes.
The mocking man from before was gone. In his place stood an innocent, pure Laoron. His moods were layered, and he could shift between them masterfully, one after another.
"For you. After all, you're my esteemed customer. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you. This is your first war I should help," he said.
I was affected.
My heart never rests anyway it immediately found someone like this…
And then, with his endlessly talking mouth, he continued:
"You're interesting. Will you really be able to see this through? How are you planning to protect your father on your own, and how do you know the things you say? These questions haven't left my mind since the moment I saw you. I had to witness this kind of entertainment firsthand."
I gave up.
I'm not affected.
What he said second made more sense he came here to watch his entertainment. People really do have strange problems.
"At least did you bring snacks? Enjoy the show" I said in a careless tone and put the ring back on.
"Snacks? What does that even have to do with"
As always, using concepts from another world only deepened his confusion as we walked back toward the camp.
…
"There's no food left for you. The rule here is: whoever comes last, freezes" said the food distributor a curly haired, orange haired girl who looked to be in her early twenties.
I couldn't accept that.
I'd burned way too much energy, running around since morning.
"Didn't you prepare according to the count? Who took extra?" I snapped.
She rolled her eyes.
"Like I said, you should've come earlier. See those guys over there? They took it. Guess what we gave them wasn't enough for their bodies" she said, laughing.
The men she pointed at were the huge guys from our unit laughing loudly, talking at full volume, clearly satisfied.
Seeing them, I turned my head away, like someone embarrassed by their younger sibling acting strangely in public.
I turned back to Laoron angrily. He was trying to slip away.
I grabbed him by his clothes.
"DO YOU HAVE FOOD?!" I demanded heatedly.
I get irritable when I'm hungry, and since I was already angry, this was next level.
"S-sorry! We get extra snacks. I promise I'll give you mine" he said.
Extra meals for royal knights? That's blatant favoritism. Whatever I'll handle my own food.
"Anyway, see you later" I said and started walking quickly toward our tent.
This guy scares me a little. He talks too much behind my back it makes me feel like I'm in some drama-filled TV series afterward.
…
The tent was packed with men, so I went outside to watch the night instead.
The sky was filled with more stars than I could count, and among them was a crescent moon more special than all the rest. My eyes sparkled as I looked at it.
Rule 2: Socialize.
The more people you know, the higher your chances of survival. Make friends who will watch your back and whose backs you'll watch in return.
This time, my book was advising me to make friends.
My next move was clear...