Leila, who was about to sit back down at the table, stopped and looked at Aaron. Aaron smiled brightly as if everything was okay.
“I somehow ended up here after wandering around aimlessly. I know that the relationship between my home country and this country is not smooth, but the war is over and...”
When he said that, Ben's eyes were not as nervous as before. His eyes were heavy and sunken. At the moment when Leila was about to cheerfully say, "Let's eat first and talk!" due to the tension that was slowly building up.
Aaron opened his lips again.
“...Normally, I would have said something like that. But to be honest.”
“...”
“I ran away.”
“...You deserted?”
Is it experience? Ben's ability to read the context between the lines was extraordinary. Aaron readily admitted.
“I am ashamed to say so. At that time, the nearest country I could go to on foot was Ramrock. After that, I thought this was the most suitable place for a deserter like me. Ramrock is hell for Dubliners. I lived in Kennerish until last month. I made a living by doing light labor in a slum outside the city, but I was beaten and kicked out when they found out I was from Dublin. So I left the city again and looked for a place to stay for a while, and ended up here.”
Leila looked as if she was about to cry as he calmly confessed his past hardships. However, Aaron was inexplicably calm, and so was her father.
After a while, Ben asked.
“Did you intend to hide it?”
Leila finally thought of a question she had never asked herself. Aaron always wore a dog tag. No matter how different Dubliners and Ramlocks are, the difference is not in appearance but in speech and way of thinking. If he had tried to hide it by throwing away the dog tag and talking less, he could have kept it a secret. She advised him last time, but Aaron still wears a dog tag.
Aaron, who was staring intently into Ben's stern eyes, answered calmly.
“No. Although I am ashamed of myself for being in this situation, I am not ashamed of my origins.”
“A Dubliner.”
“I think it is a feeling between people, and should not be interpreted as a feeling between Dublin and Ramrock.”
“You’re getting what you pay for.”
“Just as there are people as open-minded as Leila in Ramrock, there are certainly people like her in Dublin.”
“Is that you?”
“I think I wasn’t able to do it from the beginning, but I’m learning now.”
“How can someone who was a soldier say something like that?”
“If I had been a proper soldier, I wouldn’t have deserted.”
The last words sounded somehow like he was mocking himself.
Leila's heart pounded. She hadn't expected it to be so friendly, but the atmosphere was too tense. What should she do? Should she intervene and make a fuss now? She rolled her eyes.
Ben, who was frowning and glaring at Aaron, turned his gaze to Leila, who was crossing her feet.
“Ugh!”
Ben stood up from the table.
“Follow me.”
"Dad?"
The momentum was so fierce that Leila was terrified. She was afraid that her father would beat Aaron up in the rain. Ben glared at her as if she were growling and warned him sternly, saying, “Dad, it’s raining outside.”
“You go clean up after yourself!”
Aaron calmly took a deep breath and stood up as the sound of Ben's footsteps grew distant.
“It’s okay. Then I’ll feel more sorry. Don’t make that face, Leila.”
Creak. Boom! The door opens, and the hinges creak. Collie, who had been crouching in the kennel, tilts his head. His master is walking out. A tall, blond man follows him. The second one is a stranger. Growl. He was about to bark, but a thunderous roar startled him, and he scrunched his neck up.
Ben strode out of the fence gate without even using an umbrella, and Aaron followed him silently.
The sky was dark, and the rain was getting heavier.
The rainwater soaked through. Ben stood motionless for a long time on the slope of the river. His eyes lingered on the place where Aaron had settled for the past month or so. He had packed up to some extent, so only the tent, stakes, and fire pit remained.
On the way here, Ben asked only one thing.
“Do you have any selfish desires toward my daughter?”
That one sentence perfectly explained the reason for the invitation to dinner tonight. Aaron had guessed it, but when he actually faced it, his mind was in disarray, and he was left feeling embarrassed.
Aaron was mentally preparing himself as he looked at the back of Ben, who was standing with his fists clenched. He had heard from Leila that Ben also had experience in combat. He must be very displeased.
“What is your identity?”
Ben's voice, which seemed to be growling, rang out through the torchlight. Aaron was trying to decide how to make an excuse, but his body froze at Ben's further questioning.
“My daughter may have been fooled, but you couldn’t fool me.”
“That means I lied.”
“I fought in the war in Ramrock twenty years ago. It’s classified, but if you talk to a Dublin guy, you’ll know. Do you think I wouldn’t know what unit you’re from just by looking at the first digit of your dog tag? You’re a medic, with a Second Lieutenant in the Artillery written all over it? Either your name is a lie, or you’re a hero of Dublin who’s the enemy of the Ramrock people! I can tell just by looking at your body, your hands, and your movements that you’re no ordinary medic! At least you weren’t one of those guys who suck their thumbs and wrap bandages in the rear as you say!”
Each country has its own characteristics. Those who do not have extensive military knowledge could not discern the series of numbers that seemed to be a series of numbers and letters. The fact that the person who said that he realized his lie for the first time when he came to Ramrock was Leila's father made Aaron panic.
“Who are you!”
The screams echoed through the raindrops once again.
The lies that had always flowed out naturally were tangled in the back of his throat. He racked his brain, but there was no way out. And it was none other than Leila's father. Aaron, feeling resigned, slowly lowered his head.
He was so sure that he was going to catch a rat, but if he ran away, he would never see Leila again.
"I am."
But the truth was heavy and difficult, and it felt like a blow to the heart.
“...That’s right, conscripted soldiers.”
“You little punk, till the end!”
“Listen. After becoming a doctor, I changed my course and enlisted in the regular army, where I served as a trainee. After serving with the regular artillery for about a year, I was transferred to an officer position through my connections and reassigned as a medical officer. I went to war right after that.”
“...”
“The Battle of Trobia, where Ramrock's army returned across the Danu River at the border and slaughtered the Dublin army from the rear, is my last account.”
“But why are you hiding here?”
“Because I am not entitled to return to my home country. And that is my personal problem, not Ramrock and Dublin’s.”
“Qualifications? Are you saying you deserted?”
That wasn't the reason. If desertion were the only problem, it wouldn't have been so shameful.
The raindrops soaked his eyelids. Aaron squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, continuing to speak with a sense of despair.
“...I killed people who should be saved, and saved people who should be killed.”
It was almost like a confession to someone he didn't know who he was talking to. It was something he had never said to anyone. Aaron poured out his feelings here and there, feeling as if he were on the edge of a cliff.
“First of all, please know that I never intended to deceive Leila with bad intentions.”
“...”
“...Before the Trobia War, I had a strong sense of doubt. I couldn’t figure out what they were fighting for. If Ramrock’s soldiers say they’re fighting to protect Ramrock, then is Dublin’s cause that justified? Was there really a need for this war to break out? I couldn’t shake off those doubts.”
“...”
“What I felt while serving in the military was not belief, but malice. As a doctor, I had a will to save people, so I sometimes had conflicts with my superiors over that issue.”
“This guy is crazy!”
“I think I spoke to him from the perspective of an uncle, since one of the commanders of the division I belonged to was my uncle. My uncle may not have thought so.”
Ben was surprised. Being the battalion commander was a high position. It wasn't a position that a mediocre person could rise to.
From the way he sat at the dinner table in the evening, to the polite greetings and the natural calmness with which he treated him, Ben was certain that he was not an ordinary vagabond. Before he knew about Leila and that guy’s relationship, he had thought that he was a tall and handsome man, and hr had even casually talked to Walter about it. Even though he knew that he was a Dublin soldier, Ben didn’t stop Leila from getting close to him because he didn’t see the crazy viciousness that soldiers have.
"So."
At Ben's blunt questioning, Aaron wiped his rain-soaked face and laughed softly.
“...Two nights before the end of the Trobia War, a local battle broke out on the front lines. The battle broke out near the camp of the medical unit I was in. This was complicated, but I later found out that the battalion that had been caught up in the local battle was a bait. It was a trap set by the commanders who had grown impatient with the situation where there was no sign of victory, and they were given up to attack Ramrock’s flank. My unit was nearby, so I happened to be able to watch it from beginning to end.”
“...Those dirty things!”
Ben was as angry as if it were his own business. Aaron rubbed his eyes, which were getting hot. The memory of that time was still terrible. No, it was the most terrible thing now that he was saying it out loud.
“A soldier, enraged at having been abandoned by his own leadership, killed one of his commanders. With the death of that commander, I believe the Trobia War was not only a lost cause, but also led to internal strife within the Dublin Army.”
“Is that Brigadier General Kyle Biskov?”
"...Yes."
“I remember. There was a celebratory mood here when a warrior from a prominent Dublin family died.”
Aaron paused for a moment before continuing his explanation.
“I ran away right after. At that time, I didn’t intend to desert. I was running around like crazy and was caught by a soldier from Ramrock. He was covered in blood and was dying in a state where even his rank was unrecognizable. He barely managed to avoid a bullet piercing his ribs and puncturing his lung. Of course, I was going to ignore him.”
“...”
“I couldn’t do that.”
“You did something stupid.”
Ben spoke in a tone that seemed quite distant even to those who fought for his country. And it was quite true.
“I was out of my mind because I had run away, leaving my comrades behind, but for some reason I couldn’t pass him by, so I treated him and carried him to the vicinity of Ramrock’s camp.”
“I somehow ended up here after wandering around aimlessly. I know that the relationship between my home country and this country is not smooth, but the war is over and...”
When he said that, Ben's eyes were not as nervous as before. His eyes were heavy and sunken. At the moment when Leila was about to cheerfully say, "Let's eat first and talk!" due to the tension that was slowly building up.
Aaron opened his lips again.
“...Normally, I would have said something like that. But to be honest.”
“...”
“I ran away.”
“...You deserted?”
Is it experience? Ben's ability to read the context between the lines was extraordinary. Aaron readily admitted.
“I am ashamed to say so. At that time, the nearest country I could go to on foot was Ramrock. After that, I thought this was the most suitable place for a deserter like me. Ramrock is hell for Dubliners. I lived in Kennerish until last month. I made a living by doing light labor in a slum outside the city, but I was beaten and kicked out when they found out I was from Dublin. So I left the city again and looked for a place to stay for a while, and ended up here.”
Leila looked as if she was about to cry as he calmly confessed his past hardships. However, Aaron was inexplicably calm, and so was her father.
After a while, Ben asked.
“Did you intend to hide it?”
Leila finally thought of a question she had never asked herself. Aaron always wore a dog tag. No matter how different Dubliners and Ramlocks are, the difference is not in appearance but in speech and way of thinking. If he had tried to hide it by throwing away the dog tag and talking less, he could have kept it a secret. She advised him last time, but Aaron still wears a dog tag.
Aaron, who was staring intently into Ben's stern eyes, answered calmly.
“No. Although I am ashamed of myself for being in this situation, I am not ashamed of my origins.”
“A Dubliner.”
“I think it is a feeling between people, and should not be interpreted as a feeling between Dublin and Ramrock.”
“You’re getting what you pay for.”
“Just as there are people as open-minded as Leila in Ramrock, there are certainly people like her in Dublin.”
“Is that you?”
“I think I wasn’t able to do it from the beginning, but I’m learning now.”
“How can someone who was a soldier say something like that?”
“If I had been a proper soldier, I wouldn’t have deserted.”
The last words sounded somehow like he was mocking himself.
Leila's heart pounded. She hadn't expected it to be so friendly, but the atmosphere was too tense. What should she do? Should she intervene and make a fuss now? She rolled her eyes.
Ben, who was frowning and glaring at Aaron, turned his gaze to Leila, who was crossing her feet.
“Ugh!”
Ben stood up from the table.
“Follow me.”
"Dad?"
The momentum was so fierce that Leila was terrified. She was afraid that her father would beat Aaron up in the rain. Ben glared at her as if she were growling and warned him sternly, saying, “Dad, it’s raining outside.”
“You go clean up after yourself!”
Aaron calmly took a deep breath and stood up as the sound of Ben's footsteps grew distant.
“It’s okay. Then I’ll feel more sorry. Don’t make that face, Leila.”
Creak. Boom! The door opens, and the hinges creak. Collie, who had been crouching in the kennel, tilts his head. His master is walking out. A tall, blond man follows him. The second one is a stranger. Growl. He was about to bark, but a thunderous roar startled him, and he scrunched his neck up.
Ben strode out of the fence gate without even using an umbrella, and Aaron followed him silently.
The sky was dark, and the rain was getting heavier.
***
The rainwater soaked through. Ben stood motionless for a long time on the slope of the river. His eyes lingered on the place where Aaron had settled for the past month or so. He had packed up to some extent, so only the tent, stakes, and fire pit remained.
On the way here, Ben asked only one thing.
“Do you have any selfish desires toward my daughter?”
That one sentence perfectly explained the reason for the invitation to dinner tonight. Aaron had guessed it, but when he actually faced it, his mind was in disarray, and he was left feeling embarrassed.
Aaron was mentally preparing himself as he looked at the back of Ben, who was standing with his fists clenched. He had heard from Leila that Ben also had experience in combat. He must be very displeased.
“What is your identity?”
Ben's voice, which seemed to be growling, rang out through the torchlight. Aaron was trying to decide how to make an excuse, but his body froze at Ben's further questioning.
“My daughter may have been fooled, but you couldn’t fool me.”
“That means I lied.”
“I fought in the war in Ramrock twenty years ago. It’s classified, but if you talk to a Dublin guy, you’ll know. Do you think I wouldn’t know what unit you’re from just by looking at the first digit of your dog tag? You’re a medic, with a Second Lieutenant in the Artillery written all over it? Either your name is a lie, or you’re a hero of Dublin who’s the enemy of the Ramrock people! I can tell just by looking at your body, your hands, and your movements that you’re no ordinary medic! At least you weren’t one of those guys who suck their thumbs and wrap bandages in the rear as you say!”
Each country has its own characteristics. Those who do not have extensive military knowledge could not discern the series of numbers that seemed to be a series of numbers and letters. The fact that the person who said that he realized his lie for the first time when he came to Ramrock was Leila's father made Aaron panic.
“Who are you!”
The screams echoed through the raindrops once again.
The lies that had always flowed out naturally were tangled in the back of his throat. He racked his brain, but there was no way out. And it was none other than Leila's father. Aaron, feeling resigned, slowly lowered his head.
He was so sure that he was going to catch a rat, but if he ran away, he would never see Leila again.
"I am."
But the truth was heavy and difficult, and it felt like a blow to the heart.
“...That’s right, conscripted soldiers.”
“You little punk, till the end!”
“Listen. After becoming a doctor, I changed my course and enlisted in the regular army, where I served as a trainee. After serving with the regular artillery for about a year, I was transferred to an officer position through my connections and reassigned as a medical officer. I went to war right after that.”
“...”
“The Battle of Trobia, where Ramrock's army returned across the Danu River at the border and slaughtered the Dublin army from the rear, is my last account.”
“But why are you hiding here?”
“Because I am not entitled to return to my home country. And that is my personal problem, not Ramrock and Dublin’s.”
“Qualifications? Are you saying you deserted?”
That wasn't the reason. If desertion were the only problem, it wouldn't have been so shameful.
The raindrops soaked his eyelids. Aaron squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, continuing to speak with a sense of despair.
“...I killed people who should be saved, and saved people who should be killed.”
It was almost like a confession to someone he didn't know who he was talking to. It was something he had never said to anyone. Aaron poured out his feelings here and there, feeling as if he were on the edge of a cliff.
“First of all, please know that I never intended to deceive Leila with bad intentions.”
“...”
“...Before the Trobia War, I had a strong sense of doubt. I couldn’t figure out what they were fighting for. If Ramrock’s soldiers say they’re fighting to protect Ramrock, then is Dublin’s cause that justified? Was there really a need for this war to break out? I couldn’t shake off those doubts.”
“...”
“What I felt while serving in the military was not belief, but malice. As a doctor, I had a will to save people, so I sometimes had conflicts with my superiors over that issue.”
“This guy is crazy!”
“I think I spoke to him from the perspective of an uncle, since one of the commanders of the division I belonged to was my uncle. My uncle may not have thought so.”
Ben was surprised. Being the battalion commander was a high position. It wasn't a position that a mediocre person could rise to.
From the way he sat at the dinner table in the evening, to the polite greetings and the natural calmness with which he treated him, Ben was certain that he was not an ordinary vagabond. Before he knew about Leila and that guy’s relationship, he had thought that he was a tall and handsome man, and hr had even casually talked to Walter about it. Even though he knew that he was a Dublin soldier, Ben didn’t stop Leila from getting close to him because he didn’t see the crazy viciousness that soldiers have.
"So."
At Ben's blunt questioning, Aaron wiped his rain-soaked face and laughed softly.
“...Two nights before the end of the Trobia War, a local battle broke out on the front lines. The battle broke out near the camp of the medical unit I was in. This was complicated, but I later found out that the battalion that had been caught up in the local battle was a bait. It was a trap set by the commanders who had grown impatient with the situation where there was no sign of victory, and they were given up to attack Ramrock’s flank. My unit was nearby, so I happened to be able to watch it from beginning to end.”
“...Those dirty things!”
Ben was as angry as if it were his own business. Aaron rubbed his eyes, which were getting hot. The memory of that time was still terrible. No, it was the most terrible thing now that he was saying it out loud.
“A soldier, enraged at having been abandoned by his own leadership, killed one of his commanders. With the death of that commander, I believe the Trobia War was not only a lost cause, but also led to internal strife within the Dublin Army.”
“Is that Brigadier General Kyle Biskov?”
"...Yes."
“I remember. There was a celebratory mood here when a warrior from a prominent Dublin family died.”
Aaron paused for a moment before continuing his explanation.
“I ran away right after. At that time, I didn’t intend to desert. I was running around like crazy and was caught by a soldier from Ramrock. He was covered in blood and was dying in a state where even his rank was unrecognizable. He barely managed to avoid a bullet piercing his ribs and puncturing his lung. Of course, I was going to ignore him.”
“...”
“I couldn’t do that.”
“You did something stupid.”
Ben spoke in a tone that seemed quite distant even to those who fought for his country. And it was quite true.
“I was out of my mind because I had run away, leaving my comrades behind, but for some reason I couldn’t pass him by, so I treated him and carried him to the vicinity of Ramrock’s camp.”
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