27. The Secret of Memory
Halt was more cooperative than Diarin feared.
Although he was tied up tightly and took a few more gentle hits, surprisingly, he was able to communicate much better than Ceres.
“Hey, this is delicious. Sister Priestess, is this really what this kid made?”
“Yeah... Do you know something delicious?”
Diarin spoke naturally, and Halt naturally called her 'Sister Priestess'.
He was very sociable.
The 8th Unit could have done this. Diarin's eyes were popping out in surprise every moment.
“Oh, if you have a tongue, of course, you know. Why don’t you know?”
“Does Mr. Ceres know too?”
"... He knows.”
Sorry for the late reply. I'm not sure.
Diarin tilted her head.
Usually, if you know, you know, and if you don't, you don't. Ceres's answers were pretty clear.
Only when she was really nervous did her response become a bit slower.
She knows it's delicious, but why is there something so slow in responding to the question, "I don't know?"
According to Diarin, Ceres's sense of taste was sharp, but his ability to 'enjoy' flavors was diminished.
He could guess what was in it and what it tasted like, like a ghost, but he couldn't enjoy it and say it was delicious.
But Halt ate it deliciously.
“Mr. Halt, can’t you hear things like my heartbeat or the sound of birds passing by?”
"Wow, me. Eating at the same table as that crazy bastard... I'll enjoy my meal."
Although he was tied up tightly and took a few more gentle hits, surprisingly, he was able to communicate much better than Ceres.
“Hey, this is delicious. Sister Priestess, is this really what this kid made?”
“Yeah... Do you know something delicious?”
Diarin spoke naturally, and Halt naturally called her 'Sister Priestess'.
He was very sociable.
The 8th Unit could have done this. Diarin's eyes were popping out in surprise every moment.
“Oh, if you have a tongue, of course, you know. Why don’t you know?”
“Does Mr. Ceres know too?”
"... He knows.”
Sorry for the late reply. I'm not sure.
Diarin tilted her head.
Usually, if you know, you know, and if you don't, you don't. Ceres's answers were pretty clear.
Only when she was really nervous did her response become a bit slower.
She knows it's delicious, but why is there something so slow in responding to the question, "I don't know?"
According to Diarin, Ceres's sense of taste was sharp, but his ability to 'enjoy' flavors was diminished.
He could guess what was in it and what it tasted like, like a ghost, but he couldn't enjoy it and say it was delicious.
But Halt ate it deliciously.
“Mr. Halt, can’t you hear things like my heartbeat or the sound of birds passing by?”
"I can hear you?"
“...But, are you okay?”
Halt paused for a moment to ponder the unexpected question.
“I never thought about whether that was okay.”
“You can even think about it.”
Diarin was impressed.
There is such a thing as thought. I see.
“No, this Priestess is treating me like a dog again. I'm a dog, after all.”
"Sorry."
Diarin quickly apologized.
Although it really does look like a dog, it is strictly rude to call a person a dog.
It was a war zone, and if he had been the superior, he would have said, 'You bastards,' but now we will live peacefully and socially as civilized people.
Halt raised his eyebrows in mock surprise at Diarin's apology.
“Sister, you are a wonderful person.”
“I’m kind of cool.”
“...”
“Do you really have to be so serious?”
“No, it’s so cool...”
He avoids eye contact and trails off.
Just looking at that, you can definitely feel that there is sociality.
"You're definitely different from Ceres. You received the same training, and you even received various treatments and spells."
“But still, our backgrounds are different. Oh, but I am a little different from other dogs.”
"What?"
"I came in a bit older. I was half-captured, but I still got in on my own two feet. So I know a bit more about the world than other dogs, and I've had to get treated less."
It was a dazzling statement.
It was an opportunity to find clues to the numerous practices and spells entangled with Ceres.
Even when asked, Robben said he didn't know exactly what was involved.
Because it was an unofficial act that was not recorded at all, only the recipient and the practitioner knew about it.
Even Robben, who was a former military chief of staff, said he had no idea.
On the front lines, there was a separate manager in charge of the 8th Division, and since he was a member of the Imperial Army, even Robben couldn't touch him.
It was said that there was no benefit in paying too much attention to the 8th Division, which was already a headache, so they rarely went near it during the war.
Besides the 8th Unit, the staff had many other things to worry about.
There was no need for someone to personally check on the dogs and see if they were eating well or sleeping well.
The role of the staff was to deploy the necessary combat power to the right place when needed and to devise a winning strategy.
She learned this fact while listening to him grumble excitedly, saying that he had no idea he would be drafted like this after the war ended.
While he was grumbling, Robben listened intently, hoping that important information that he himself didn't even think was information would come out, but it didn't really make a difference.
But then, unexpectedly, information came from Halt.
“Do you know what kind of procedure it is?”
Diarin's excited voice rose.
No matter how hard she tried to dig into it, it didn't work.
If she has even a rough idea of what kind of procedure it is, it will be much easier to find a way to approach it.
“The ones who performed the procedure would know.”
“...I don’t know what it’s used for.”
“Ah, well, for now, it’s about making your senses more sensitive.”
Halt looked up at the ceiling and pondered his thoughts.
At first, he was suspicious and tried to avoid it, but later on, his thoughts changed to, "I don't care, just let me endure this hellish battlefield."
Whether it was a procedure, a spell, or medicine, he accepted whatever was given to him without thinking.
So Halt didn't have much to think about exactly.
“Ah, I held out well and didn’t get hit, but they catch those who are becoming crippled and erase their memories?”
"...memory...?"
Ceres' lost childhood memories.
She had a vague idea that he had undergone a procedure, but this was the moment it became clear.
"Well, there are some who almost die fighting and then never fight again. The fact that they went into battle means they've already been raised well enough. The higher-ups probably felt it was a shame to just abandon them."
“How do you erase memories?”
“I don’t know about that. I haven’t received it.”
"Ah..."
Is it medicine, a procedure, or a spell?
Knowing that will make it a little more approachable.
It was a shame, but it was a great learning experience just to know the whole story.
Once the intention of the caster is revealed, it becomes a little easier to track.
“Do you remember what it looked like when you received it?”
"What was it like? Well, he just became an idiot. He forgot his words; he forgot how to live. But he still had his instincts, so if you throw him into battle, he'll fight well."
That's how crazy they became.
They capture children who are unable to withstand the pressure of battle and break down, erase their memories, leave only their instincts sharp, and train them.
As expected, the more she listened, the more it seemed like something a human would do.
Diarin forced her frown to clear.
The people who were involved in the incident were talking as if it were nothing, so it might have been rude for her to get more excited.
The right to sympathize with another person's life is given only when the person concerned gives permission.
“So, you won’t receive it just once, but several times?”
When she asked him this question lightly on purpose, Halt also chuckled and answered.
"If you keep doing that over and over again, you'll become a complete idiot. Then you'll go crazy and fall on the battlefield. But hey, you're going to lose anyway because you can't handle it, so you're going to fall someday. You're just going to fall a little later."
Even though they were colleagues, he didn't feel any camaraderie at all.
Diarin looked back at Ceres.
There was no warmth in Ceres' eyes as he looked at Halt.
“But if you spend a long time together, you’ll probably develop some affection for each other.”
Halt snorted.
“They’re the ones who would cut my throat at any moment if they gave them the order. Why?”
Ceres also continued his silence of agreement.
It would be more difficult to remain sane in a situation where there are enemies on all sides, and you never know when you might die.
Even after seeing Halt briefly, she could tell why he had held on.
But what about Ceres?
“I guess Ceres didn’t erase his memories in the middle?”
"Yes."
"So, did they erase their memories and send them into training as soon as they arrived? Or did they train them and then erase their memories?"
“Oh, I know that. He was brought in with his memories already erased.”
Halt intervened.
"That kid, he was so handsome since he was little. I remember wondering how such a handsome kid got dragged here."
"...Ah."
It's a very crude expression, but she agrees.
Ceres was handsome.
After decorating it, I realized it was really handsome.
Even when compared to the Prince, he was not inferior at all. Diarin wasn't the only one who felt he looked like a Prince from some country.
“I thought that kid would die soon when he came here, like a newborn, not knowing anything, but he survived until the end?”
Diarin read an ominous shadow on Halt's smiling face.
It makes her hair stand on end.
Unless she's being overly sensitive, that was hostile.
Diarin quietly reached out to Ceres and grabbed his arm.
Ceres looked back at Diarin's hand.
Although he appeared indifferent, he held firm and did not move, as per Diarin's instructions. However, Ceres, in his own way, sharpened his momentum.
"Stop."
Diarin stepped in to mediate before the atmosphere became more tense.
"You said you didn't fight within the unit. Why are you trying to fight?"
“I don’t know, just seeing that kid makes me want to fight. Oh, shit... Why did you have to drag me to this house?”
“Mr. Ceres was still.”
“There are some kids who just want to fight.”
Are there any kids like that...?
Diarin laughed awkwardly, hahaha.
“Could it be the priest who was in charge?”
“That kid’s eyes are provocative from the very first glance! How can I stand it when every single glance at me is provocative! Ah, shit!”
“Calm down!”
“Fuck, fuck! Shit!”
Suddenly, Halt exploded.
Ceres jumped up and pushed Diarin behind him.
Halt was further stimulated by that sight.
The table flew.
Diarin watched with a dazed mind as all kinds of dishes flew into the air.
What is going on?
The dogs' fight almost destroyed the house.
Halt paused for a moment to ponder the unexpected question.
“I never thought about whether that was okay.”
“You can even think about it.”
Diarin was impressed.
There is such a thing as thought. I see.
“No, this Priestess is treating me like a dog again. I'm a dog, after all.”
"Sorry."
Diarin quickly apologized.
Although it really does look like a dog, it is strictly rude to call a person a dog.
It was a war zone, and if he had been the superior, he would have said, 'You bastards,' but now we will live peacefully and socially as civilized people.
Halt raised his eyebrows in mock surprise at Diarin's apology.
“Sister, you are a wonderful person.”
“I’m kind of cool.”
“...”
“Do you really have to be so serious?”
“No, it’s so cool...”
He avoids eye contact and trails off.
Just looking at that, you can definitely feel that there is sociality.
"You're definitely different from Ceres. You received the same training, and you even received various treatments and spells."
“But still, our backgrounds are different. Oh, but I am a little different from other dogs.”
"What?"
"I came in a bit older. I was half-captured, but I still got in on my own two feet. So I know a bit more about the world than other dogs, and I've had to get treated less."
It was a dazzling statement.
It was an opportunity to find clues to the numerous practices and spells entangled with Ceres.
Even when asked, Robben said he didn't know exactly what was involved.
Because it was an unofficial act that was not recorded at all, only the recipient and the practitioner knew about it.
Even Robben, who was a former military chief of staff, said he had no idea.
On the front lines, there was a separate manager in charge of the 8th Division, and since he was a member of the Imperial Army, even Robben couldn't touch him.
It was said that there was no benefit in paying too much attention to the 8th Division, which was already a headache, so they rarely went near it during the war.
Besides the 8th Unit, the staff had many other things to worry about.
There was no need for someone to personally check on the dogs and see if they were eating well or sleeping well.
The role of the staff was to deploy the necessary combat power to the right place when needed and to devise a winning strategy.
She learned this fact while listening to him grumble excitedly, saying that he had no idea he would be drafted like this after the war ended.
While he was grumbling, Robben listened intently, hoping that important information that he himself didn't even think was information would come out, but it didn't really make a difference.
But then, unexpectedly, information came from Halt.
“Do you know what kind of procedure it is?”
Diarin's excited voice rose.
No matter how hard she tried to dig into it, it didn't work.
If she has even a rough idea of what kind of procedure it is, it will be much easier to find a way to approach it.
“The ones who performed the procedure would know.”
“...I don’t know what it’s used for.”
“Ah, well, for now, it’s about making your senses more sensitive.”
Halt looked up at the ceiling and pondered his thoughts.
At first, he was suspicious and tried to avoid it, but later on, his thoughts changed to, "I don't care, just let me endure this hellish battlefield."
Whether it was a procedure, a spell, or medicine, he accepted whatever was given to him without thinking.
So Halt didn't have much to think about exactly.
“Ah, I held out well and didn’t get hit, but they catch those who are becoming crippled and erase their memories?”
"...memory...?"
Ceres' lost childhood memories.
She had a vague idea that he had undergone a procedure, but this was the moment it became clear.
"Well, there are some who almost die fighting and then never fight again. The fact that they went into battle means they've already been raised well enough. The higher-ups probably felt it was a shame to just abandon them."
“How do you erase memories?”
“I don’t know about that. I haven’t received it.”
"Ah..."
Is it medicine, a procedure, or a spell?
Knowing that will make it a little more approachable.
It was a shame, but it was a great learning experience just to know the whole story.
Once the intention of the caster is revealed, it becomes a little easier to track.
“Do you remember what it looked like when you received it?”
"What was it like? Well, he just became an idiot. He forgot his words; he forgot how to live. But he still had his instincts, so if you throw him into battle, he'll fight well."
That's how crazy they became.
They capture children who are unable to withstand the pressure of battle and break down, erase their memories, leave only their instincts sharp, and train them.
As expected, the more she listened, the more it seemed like something a human would do.
Diarin forced her frown to clear.
The people who were involved in the incident were talking as if it were nothing, so it might have been rude for her to get more excited.
The right to sympathize with another person's life is given only when the person concerned gives permission.
“So, you won’t receive it just once, but several times?”
When she asked him this question lightly on purpose, Halt also chuckled and answered.
"If you keep doing that over and over again, you'll become a complete idiot. Then you'll go crazy and fall on the battlefield. But hey, you're going to lose anyway because you can't handle it, so you're going to fall someday. You're just going to fall a little later."
Even though they were colleagues, he didn't feel any camaraderie at all.
Diarin looked back at Ceres.
There was no warmth in Ceres' eyes as he looked at Halt.
“But if you spend a long time together, you’ll probably develop some affection for each other.”
Halt snorted.
“They’re the ones who would cut my throat at any moment if they gave them the order. Why?”
Ceres also continued his silence of agreement.
It would be more difficult to remain sane in a situation where there are enemies on all sides, and you never know when you might die.
Even after seeing Halt briefly, she could tell why he had held on.
But what about Ceres?
“I guess Ceres didn’t erase his memories in the middle?”
"Yes."
"So, did they erase their memories and send them into training as soon as they arrived? Or did they train them and then erase their memories?"
“Oh, I know that. He was brought in with his memories already erased.”
Halt intervened.
"That kid, he was so handsome since he was little. I remember wondering how such a handsome kid got dragged here."
"...Ah."
It's a very crude expression, but she agrees.
Ceres was handsome.
After decorating it, I realized it was really handsome.
Even when compared to the Prince, he was not inferior at all. Diarin wasn't the only one who felt he looked like a Prince from some country.
“I thought that kid would die soon when he came here, like a newborn, not knowing anything, but he survived until the end?”
Diarin read an ominous shadow on Halt's smiling face.
It makes her hair stand on end.
Unless she's being overly sensitive, that was hostile.
Diarin quietly reached out to Ceres and grabbed his arm.
Ceres looked back at Diarin's hand.
Although he appeared indifferent, he held firm and did not move, as per Diarin's instructions. However, Ceres, in his own way, sharpened his momentum.
"Stop."
Diarin stepped in to mediate before the atmosphere became more tense.
"You said you didn't fight within the unit. Why are you trying to fight?"
“I don’t know, just seeing that kid makes me want to fight. Oh, shit... Why did you have to drag me to this house?”
“Mr. Ceres was still.”
“There are some kids who just want to fight.”
Are there any kids like that...?
Diarin laughed awkwardly, hahaha.
“Could it be the priest who was in charge?”
“That kid’s eyes are provocative from the very first glance! How can I stand it when every single glance at me is provocative! Ah, shit!”
“Calm down!”
“Fuck, fuck! Shit!”
Suddenly, Halt exploded.
Ceres jumped up and pushed Diarin behind him.
Halt was further stimulated by that sight.
The table flew.
Diarin watched with a dazed mind as all kinds of dishes flew into the air.
What is going on?
The dogs' fight almost destroyed the house.
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