Chapter 78 (1/2)
“The Directorate of Surveillance will come soon. You must take all accountability.”
Ismael said to Viscount Luken, who bowed his head politely, understanding the meaning behind those words.
“I will fulfil my mission, no matter what.”
“… I am sorry.”
“Please, don’t be. This life of mine was given unto me by you, Lord Ismael. Having lived my life basking in your glory, I have no regrets.”
“…”
Ismael looked at Viscount Luken with complicated emotions in his eyes, unhappy that he had to sacrifice his own subordinate with his own hands. The door to the container opened, and the middle-aged man walked out of the door.
“Is it over?”
“Yes. Once all of the information is extracted completely, all of his memories will be erased, and he’ll turn into nothing but a husk.”
“This is the first failure of the Dark Royale. Let us withdraw.”
The middle-aged man nodded at Ismael’s order and turned to meet Viscount Luken.
“… I’m sorry.”
“I have been prepared for a day like this since long ago.”
“You must disguise all of this as your actions alone after joining hands with a warlock.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Having joined the newly organised brigade after the recent restructuring, Joon-young fought a number of skirmishes and battles. These battles helped Joon-young form close bonds with the members of his brigade, and it was at this moment that they were given an order to protect the city.
While the officers brought their heads together and agonized over the troublesome task of evacuating the civilians and forming a defensive line and combat zones, Joon-young was tasked as the supply sergeant of his company. He performed his task excellently by extracting as many supplies from his brigade headquarters as possible before arriving where his company’s provisional headquarters had been established.
“Ah! Sergeant Kim, welcome back.”
Having ordered his men to distribute the newly received supplies, Joon-young entered the headquarters, where the company commander greeted him with a smile in the midst of deliberating over the map of the city. Although the times were difficult, the company commander didn’t lose his smile. Leading his men with clear vision, he was well-respected by his men, and Joon-young was one of them. He was the greatest of soldiers.
“I took as many supplies as I could, to the point that the soldier tasked with the supplies cried over it.”
“Well done.”
The company commander chuckled and brought Joon-young a cup of coffee.
“Was there any coffee still left in our company?”
“My men say they found some whilst scouting the nearby empty residences.”
“Isn’t that a crime?”
“I’d be more than happy if the owner of the house returned and filed the theft to the police one day.”
Joon-young smirked at the company commander’s answer. This was the reason why he liked the commander. Despite having graduated from a military academy, he did not show a stubborn adherence to textbook methods and had demonstrated great resourcefulness. But in the face of danger, he showed no delay in making quick decisions in the most decisive moments, even if the order would cause casualties. He was a general fit to be a leader.
“How goes the evacuation process?”
“We’re in quite the pickle, since many of them are saying they have nowhere to go if they leave the city. We can’t forcefully evict them from their homes too. I’d like to help them however I can, but we are running low on supplies as well. If we’re unable to evacuate them by the time that the fighting starts, then we’ll need to compensate by leading them to shelters instead.”
“Are there enough shelters within the city?”
“Most of the buildings have bas.e.m.e.nts built into them, so we’ll be leading them to the shelters and nearby buildings’ bas.e.m.e.nts. Hopefully, we can avoid the worst case scenario by releasing the location of the shelters.”
“Wasn’t that the plan made by the brigade to limit the advancement of the enemy?”
War wrought incredible suffering upon those involved in it, but to others, it was an amazing spectacle. Reporters from all over the world scoured the nation with bloodshot eyes for rare scoops. Civilian casualties was perhaps the most delicious find for them, so the enemies had no choice but to avoid the shelters as best they could, watchful of the world media.
“There’s no choice. We are doing the best by advising that they evacuate, but there’s nothing more we can do since we can’t use force on them.”
Joon-young sipped at the coffee and discussed with the company commander over the plans on preparation for the battle, when a commotion could be heard outside.
“We are against war! Say no to war! Regain the peace!”
“Let us drop our guns for peace!”
Joon-young rushed out of the headquarters. Facing him was a group of protestors ama.s.sing in front of the headquarters.
“What the? Who are these lunatics!”
Joon-young shouted with a dumbfounded look.
“The civilians are ama.s.sing over at our headquarters!”
A soldier manning the security post shouted out, and the company commander rushed over to meet the protestors.
“Everyone! Now isn’t the time to do this! The enemies are marching here as we speak! You must evacuate!”
The company commander tried to calm the civilians, but he was only met with malicious hatred.
“Shut up! The city would be safe if you lot weren’t here!”
“Just f.u.c.k off and don’t turn the city into a battlefield!”
“Commander!”
A gunshot was heard from within the crowd, and the company commander tumbled backward. Joon-young quickly moved to support the commander.
“Everyone! The city will be safe if they aren’t here! The army that threatens our lives and safety must disappear!”
The protestors seemed to disperse at the sound of a sudden gunshot, but a middle-aged man instigated the populace further with a megaphone in hand, rallying them once more. Joon-young recognised the man, having seen him ask for handshakes with army officers and introducing himself as the vice-mayor of the city in the past. Seeing the situation turn dire so quickly, the soldiers began to load their guns.
“No! Don’t shoot!”
The commander, despite starting to lose consciousness, muttered those words. Other officers who quickly rushed over to the scene did their utmost to calm the protestors when another ma.s.s of protestors showed up.
“What do you think you’re doing? We’re in a difficult position as it is, and mutiny is the last thing we need!”
“There is no reason for a war to break out if there is no army! The army is the reason why wars start!”
“What bulls.h.i.+t is that? That’s something you can say before a war begins! It’d be r.e.t.a.r.ded to simply stay put without resistance when they’ve already invaded us!”
“Didn’t you hear that the president declared a surrender already? You say you’re soldiers! Then follow your orders! They are just demons, possessed to fight the war just because they want to!”
“Then are you saying we should stay put as we have everything taken from us!”
“Ha! It’ll be better than dying.”
“You call that an answer!”
Emotions clashed. The different beliefs could not coincide and were only able to run parallel to one another as the argument heated up. It was obvious that this was going to result in violence at the end.
“Kukuku. Why… why is this all happening!”
Those who demonstrated against war ironically started a war against their own people. n.o.body knew who made the first shot, but the harsh insults and screams escalated to exchanges of fists, and at the end, it escalated out of control as gunshots echoed everywhere.
Some screamed as they ran for safety. Others shouted insults as they sprayed bullets into the ma.s.s. A woman screamed as she collapsed onto the ground, and foreign reporters watched with great delight, taking photos of the scene in front of them. The company commander muttered in between his weak breaths.
“They say the people who have forgotten history have no future.”
“…”
“Perhaps we are watching the end of it…”
“…”
Joon-young glimpsed at the medic who was by his side, and the medic quietly shook his head. The company commander coughed violently, but held Joon-young’s arm firmly.
“Tell the officers. Continue the evacuation process.”
“Even in this h.e.l.lhole?”
“Remember the oath we made when we entered the army. We are soldiers. Soldiers protect the nation and its people.”
“… Even if the people don’t want it?”
The company commander smiled at Joon-young’s question.
“Yes. Even if the people don’t want it…”
Suddenly, the world stopped, and the memories of his past began to flicker by as if they were part of a film being sped up. Joon-young joined what remained of his company and fought the battles. He entered Seoul and received news of his family members’ deaths. He was almost executed after causing an incident as a result of his crippling depression. It was cancelled, and he was thrown back into war. He slowly turned into a monster as he continued to fight the war. He despaired. He learnt that despair was a luxury. He felt like he was growing more insensitive to the memories of his first kill, which at first seemed unforgettable. In his final moments, he felt light wrap around his body in his last stand, and with that final piece of memory, he opened his eyes.