Aaron spoke in a firm tone, and Nick burst into laughter when he heard him. He was a more cheerful man than you might think.
“When I captured the capital of Potsell, I sent a man to the Biscov family to ask for a meeting with you. I had some doubts about how friendly they would be to the enemy commander who had captured the capital, but I thought that since you saved my life, I should express my gratitude to you as a person, beyond the boundaries of Dublin and Ramrock. However, Dublin initially denied having a child named Claude Biscov.”
“The fact that the soldier who was present at the place where the commander died deserted without even being investigated must have been shameful to the Biscov family. If a high-ranking Ramrock official as big as Hamilton had requested a meeting at that time, they would have been embarrassed. That’s the kind of people they are.”
“But according to my informants, you really didn’t come back. So I put off our meeting for a while and took care of Ramrock first. After that, I had some free time, so I came looking for you. At first, I didn’t even think you would be in Ramrock. I thought you either died somewhere no one knew about, or you were buried in a joint funeral without being identified during the Trobia War, one of the two...”
“...”
“I was thinking about giving up for a while, but then I heard about soldiers from Dublin streaming into Ramrock about half a year ago, so I changed my mind a little.”
“You’ve been busy with useless things.”
A soft smile appeared on Nick's lips at Aaron's indifferent response.
“I felt it that day, but you’re not a very good person. Fortunately, you’re still the same. Anyway, if I may continue the explanation, at first I tried to find you secretly, but I was frustrated because there was no news, so I put out a warrant. However, I think that if they find out that you’re Biscov, the soldiers in Ramrock won’t be so kind to you... As you can see from what I said earlier, social problems among soldiers are arising as Ramrock’s military politics are settling down. Soldiers, although they are trained by their superiors, are often brainwashed to value spiritual values more than money or any material values. There must be some who despise the name Biscov more than the reward money. Also, I don’t want to give the Biscov family in Dublin a chance to get involved if they hear the truth.”
It seemed like he was talking in a roundabout way about how he had searched for him with great care, but Aaron didn't really feel anything. He just found it a little funny.
“So Claude, are you blonde?”
“The only distinguishing feature I could remember was your hair. Were you red-haired or blond? That was one of the concerns, but since the Biscov family had blond hair for generations, I figured you must have been blond. However, the wanted status wasn’t very good. It makes sense that you were living in hiding under the name of Aaron Jenner. Have you seen the lieutenant?”
Aaron shook his head, feeling relieved.
“Just call me Aaron. If you had even drawn a montage, you would have caught me right away.”
“In my memory, you were a devilish Dubliner. And I have my reasons for publicly revealing that I am looking for Biscov.”
“After the war, you went from colonel to brigadier general.”
“Given the state of society, I, too, cannot separate the military and politics.”
A hollow laugh escaped Nick's confident voice.
Ding- ding- ding... The bell began to ring. It was a peaceful bell that told the town the passage of time every day. Aaron clenched his hands that were stiffening on their own into fists on his knees. Nicks, who had been quietly watching him, smiled leisurely and gestured to an officer standing behind him.
“It’s a common trauma. Bruno, bring me a drink. I have to have a drink with this benefactor today.”
The officer was Bruno. He was a close associate of Nicks's, and he knew that Nicks had been looking for the Dubliner for a long time. He thought it was a great honor to have a man who was as loyal to Nicks as he was to foolishly save his superior, who was almost killed on the front lines. Regardless of his nationality. And more than anything, he was very enthusiastic as one who wanted to rejoice that the hellish search was finally over.
Not long after the bells stopped ringing, Bruno brought out a bottle of expensive champagne from Estruana, Moulin. Aaron is not a wine connoisseur, but he knew the name of the Moulin, which is not easily accessible even to the affluent. Nick frowned. Aaron guessed that it was because he had brought out an overly expensive bottle.
“Is this all there is?”
“It’s heavy, so don’t carry it!”
"Who?"
“This is an order given directly by the Brigadier General!”
“Oh, me? Did I? If that’s the case, then there’s nothing I can do.”
Nicks, who had casually handed Aaron a glass filled with champagne, smiled sadly. His face was soft, as if the fierce appearance he had when he had casually shot the gun earlier was a lie.
“I wanted to treat you to something more special since it was a special day, but the circumstances are not favorable. I wish we had met in a big city instead of in Casnier.”
“Casnier is a good enough place.”
“Who is that woman?”
“My beloved... wife.”
Nick smiled, holding the champagne glass to his lips, at the calm but firm determination of Aaron, according to his wife’s stubborn insistence, who seemed to be smiling without realizing it. He thought it was quite nice to see.
After emptying half of his champagne, Nicks suddenly asked.
“Would you like to go into exile?”
“...”
“It may sound like I’m showing off, and even if I don’t, I think it’s unsightly. But it’s true, so I’ll say it out loud. In fact, I can take care of the nationality issue in two weeks. I also know that you can still return to the Biscov family, and I think the wealth and honor of the Biscov family might be better than staying here. Of course, a reasonable person would choose Biscov.”
“...”
“But you are such an irrational person.”
Aaron remained expressionless in silence at Nick's decisive words. Nick gently filled in the gaps in silence and added to the conversation.
“It would be stranger to think of a person who saved me, a Ramrock person, and now lives in poverty, saying he loves a Ramrock woman, as rational. If you intend to stay in Ramrock, change your name and create a new identity.”
"No."
Aaron shook his head.
"It's okay."
“It won’t be okay. The military is also worried about the tyranny of soldiers who have nothing to do after the war ends and turn on their own people. The number of incidents and accidents caused by these bastards who secretly commit acts no different from those of thugs and robbers is beyond imagination. I think it was a fateful coincidence that I found you today, but if it weren’t for you, or if the person you were trying to protect wasn’t a woman from Ramrock but a woman from Dublin, I would have blown their heads off. The problem is that serious. If only I could register as a refugee as a temporary measure...”
“I think it means more to me because I’m from Dublin.”
“...”
“You can laugh at me for being a fool in love, but that’s why I can live every moment grateful to my wife, who loves me even though she knows I’m a Dubliner.”
“Then even if you’re not a Dubliner, she’ll love you.”
“I just don’t want to lose the person she loved. And even though I left my home country, I still don’t forget what it gave me.”
At Aaron's dreamy words, Nick raised the corners of his lips with a strange look.
“This is difficult.”
“You and I have no relationship, and my decision right now has nothing to do with you. There is absolutely no reason for Mr. Hamilton to be in trouble. But there is one thing I would like to ask of you.”
“Anything.”
“You know the evils of the soldiers of Ramrock, you said it yourself, so there is no reason to criticize them, but I think that even if you control them in the long term, you will need short-term measures. It would be good to organize a vigilante group made up of civilians. Even the military police who watch over the soldiers are soldiers, so they have no choice but to bend their arms inward. However, if you give the local villagers the authority to protect their villages, the soldiers’ indiscriminate tyranny will inevitably be alleviated to some extent.”
Nick didn't answer for a long time, then muttered.
“...The vigilantes.”
He might think that he is being presumptuous. They are not fools, so they would have considered all sorts of options. But Nick nodded, looking at him with his clear gray eyes that showed neither displeasure nor amusement.
“The military is reluctant to give power to civilians. This is not the first time it has been proposed. It was mentioned a couple of times last year.”
“...”
“Even though it failed to pass the council both times, I’ll step up and give it a try this time. I saw the behavior of those crazy guys with my own eyes today... I can’t tell you to just sit there and do nothing right now. I’ll try to apply it as a pilot project not only in Casnier but also in other cities, and if the results are good, I can make it a policy.”
“You are a reasonable person.”
Nick frowned slightly at Aaron's calm remark, then smiled wider.
“...And you are truly an amazing person. You so easily throw away the name Biscov, and the way you try to save the Ramrock people, both when I first saw you and now.”
“It’s not me, it’s my wife who is amazing. And.”
"And?"
“I’m not saving Ramrockin, I’m saving people.”
“I am a soldier, so I will not praise your words as a person. However, the two things of duty and norms as a soldier and moral conduct as a human being are often in conflict. There will always be room for debate as to which is more correct and how much flexibility should be exercised.”
Knock, knock. There was a knock on the door.
Nick nodded to Bruno with a somewhat more commanding gaze than when he was addressing Aaron. Bruno cautiously spoke to the visitor outside the door, then returned to Nick and whispered in his ear.
“Oh, these fucking kids are at it again.”
Nick stood up, downing the half-empty glass of champagne he had left behind.
Then, looking down at Aaron, he gave Bruno a blunt order: 'Bring it.' Bruno didn't listen for long and quickly left the place, then quickly came back with a large pouch. A clinking sound could be heard from inside the pouch, which looked incredibly heavy.
“When I captured the capital of Potsell, I sent a man to the Biscov family to ask for a meeting with you. I had some doubts about how friendly they would be to the enemy commander who had captured the capital, but I thought that since you saved my life, I should express my gratitude to you as a person, beyond the boundaries of Dublin and Ramrock. However, Dublin initially denied having a child named Claude Biscov.”
“The fact that the soldier who was present at the place where the commander died deserted without even being investigated must have been shameful to the Biscov family. If a high-ranking Ramrock official as big as Hamilton had requested a meeting at that time, they would have been embarrassed. That’s the kind of people they are.”
“But according to my informants, you really didn’t come back. So I put off our meeting for a while and took care of Ramrock first. After that, I had some free time, so I came looking for you. At first, I didn’t even think you would be in Ramrock. I thought you either died somewhere no one knew about, or you were buried in a joint funeral without being identified during the Trobia War, one of the two...”
“...”
“I was thinking about giving up for a while, but then I heard about soldiers from Dublin streaming into Ramrock about half a year ago, so I changed my mind a little.”
“You’ve been busy with useless things.”
A soft smile appeared on Nick's lips at Aaron's indifferent response.
“I felt it that day, but you’re not a very good person. Fortunately, you’re still the same. Anyway, if I may continue the explanation, at first I tried to find you secretly, but I was frustrated because there was no news, so I put out a warrant. However, I think that if they find out that you’re Biscov, the soldiers in Ramrock won’t be so kind to you... As you can see from what I said earlier, social problems among soldiers are arising as Ramrock’s military politics are settling down. Soldiers, although they are trained by their superiors, are often brainwashed to value spiritual values more than money or any material values. There must be some who despise the name Biscov more than the reward money. Also, I don’t want to give the Biscov family in Dublin a chance to get involved if they hear the truth.”
It seemed like he was talking in a roundabout way about how he had searched for him with great care, but Aaron didn't really feel anything. He just found it a little funny.
“So Claude, are you blonde?”
“The only distinguishing feature I could remember was your hair. Were you red-haired or blond? That was one of the concerns, but since the Biscov family had blond hair for generations, I figured you must have been blond. However, the wanted status wasn’t very good. It makes sense that you were living in hiding under the name of Aaron Jenner. Have you seen the lieutenant?”
Aaron shook his head, feeling relieved.
“Just call me Aaron. If you had even drawn a montage, you would have caught me right away.”
“In my memory, you were a devilish Dubliner. And I have my reasons for publicly revealing that I am looking for Biscov.”
“After the war, you went from colonel to brigadier general.”
“Given the state of society, I, too, cannot separate the military and politics.”
A hollow laugh escaped Nick's confident voice.
Ding- ding- ding... The bell began to ring. It was a peaceful bell that told the town the passage of time every day. Aaron clenched his hands that were stiffening on their own into fists on his knees. Nicks, who had been quietly watching him, smiled leisurely and gestured to an officer standing behind him.
“It’s a common trauma. Bruno, bring me a drink. I have to have a drink with this benefactor today.”
The officer was Bruno. He was a close associate of Nicks's, and he knew that Nicks had been looking for the Dubliner for a long time. He thought it was a great honor to have a man who was as loyal to Nicks as he was to foolishly save his superior, who was almost killed on the front lines. Regardless of his nationality. And more than anything, he was very enthusiastic as one who wanted to rejoice that the hellish search was finally over.
Not long after the bells stopped ringing, Bruno brought out a bottle of expensive champagne from Estruana, Moulin. Aaron is not a wine connoisseur, but he knew the name of the Moulin, which is not easily accessible even to the affluent. Nick frowned. Aaron guessed that it was because he had brought out an overly expensive bottle.
“Is this all there is?”
“It’s heavy, so don’t carry it!”
"Who?"
“This is an order given directly by the Brigadier General!”
“Oh, me? Did I? If that’s the case, then there’s nothing I can do.”
Nicks, who had casually handed Aaron a glass filled with champagne, smiled sadly. His face was soft, as if the fierce appearance he had when he had casually shot the gun earlier was a lie.
“I wanted to treat you to something more special since it was a special day, but the circumstances are not favorable. I wish we had met in a big city instead of in Casnier.”
“Casnier is a good enough place.”
“Who is that woman?”
“My beloved... wife.”
Nick smiled, holding the champagne glass to his lips, at the calm but firm determination of Aaron, according to his wife’s stubborn insistence, who seemed to be smiling without realizing it. He thought it was quite nice to see.
After emptying half of his champagne, Nicks suddenly asked.
“Would you like to go into exile?”
“...”
“It may sound like I’m showing off, and even if I don’t, I think it’s unsightly. But it’s true, so I’ll say it out loud. In fact, I can take care of the nationality issue in two weeks. I also know that you can still return to the Biscov family, and I think the wealth and honor of the Biscov family might be better than staying here. Of course, a reasonable person would choose Biscov.”
“...”
“But you are such an irrational person.”
Aaron remained expressionless in silence at Nick's decisive words. Nick gently filled in the gaps in silence and added to the conversation.
“It would be stranger to think of a person who saved me, a Ramrock person, and now lives in poverty, saying he loves a Ramrock woman, as rational. If you intend to stay in Ramrock, change your name and create a new identity.”
"No."
Aaron shook his head.
"It's okay."
“It won’t be okay. The military is also worried about the tyranny of soldiers who have nothing to do after the war ends and turn on their own people. The number of incidents and accidents caused by these bastards who secretly commit acts no different from those of thugs and robbers is beyond imagination. I think it was a fateful coincidence that I found you today, but if it weren’t for you, or if the person you were trying to protect wasn’t a woman from Ramrock but a woman from Dublin, I would have blown their heads off. The problem is that serious. If only I could register as a refugee as a temporary measure...”
“I think it means more to me because I’m from Dublin.”
“...”
“You can laugh at me for being a fool in love, but that’s why I can live every moment grateful to my wife, who loves me even though she knows I’m a Dubliner.”
“Then even if you’re not a Dubliner, she’ll love you.”
“I just don’t want to lose the person she loved. And even though I left my home country, I still don’t forget what it gave me.”
At Aaron's dreamy words, Nick raised the corners of his lips with a strange look.
“This is difficult.”
“You and I have no relationship, and my decision right now has nothing to do with you. There is absolutely no reason for Mr. Hamilton to be in trouble. But there is one thing I would like to ask of you.”
“Anything.”
“You know the evils of the soldiers of Ramrock, you said it yourself, so there is no reason to criticize them, but I think that even if you control them in the long term, you will need short-term measures. It would be good to organize a vigilante group made up of civilians. Even the military police who watch over the soldiers are soldiers, so they have no choice but to bend their arms inward. However, if you give the local villagers the authority to protect their villages, the soldiers’ indiscriminate tyranny will inevitably be alleviated to some extent.”
Nick didn't answer for a long time, then muttered.
“...The vigilantes.”
He might think that he is being presumptuous. They are not fools, so they would have considered all sorts of options. But Nick nodded, looking at him with his clear gray eyes that showed neither displeasure nor amusement.
“The military is reluctant to give power to civilians. This is not the first time it has been proposed. It was mentioned a couple of times last year.”
“...”
“Even though it failed to pass the council both times, I’ll step up and give it a try this time. I saw the behavior of those crazy guys with my own eyes today... I can’t tell you to just sit there and do nothing right now. I’ll try to apply it as a pilot project not only in Casnier but also in other cities, and if the results are good, I can make it a policy.”
“You are a reasonable person.”
Nick frowned slightly at Aaron's calm remark, then smiled wider.
“...And you are truly an amazing person. You so easily throw away the name Biscov, and the way you try to save the Ramrock people, both when I first saw you and now.”
“It’s not me, it’s my wife who is amazing. And.”
"And?"
“I’m not saving Ramrockin, I’m saving people.”
“I am a soldier, so I will not praise your words as a person. However, the two things of duty and norms as a soldier and moral conduct as a human being are often in conflict. There will always be room for debate as to which is more correct and how much flexibility should be exercised.”
Knock, knock. There was a knock on the door.
Nick nodded to Bruno with a somewhat more commanding gaze than when he was addressing Aaron. Bruno cautiously spoke to the visitor outside the door, then returned to Nick and whispered in his ear.
“Oh, these fucking kids are at it again.”
Nick stood up, downing the half-empty glass of champagne he had left behind.
Then, looking down at Aaron, he gave Bruno a blunt order: 'Bring it.' Bruno didn't listen for long and quickly left the place, then quickly came back with a large pouch. A clinking sound could be heard from inside the pouch, which looked incredibly heavy.
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