Surviving in the 121st Century - Chapter 65



Only Noblemtl

At the center of the large garrison built in the middle of a vast plain was the main force of the revolutionary army, the flying battleship Comintern of Capitan Miguel.

Centered around the battleship, there were a number of large and small airships lined up, and large tents large enough for a troop to fit in and move around were set up in rows on one side of the plain.

Between the tents, trucks, soldiers lined up, officers, and other rabbis of indeterminate affiliations were moving busily.

It was incomparable to the flying battleship of General Donchava that Jincheol had seen in Sioll in the past and the garrison set up below it. Of course, the battleship of General Donchava that was anchored in Sioll at that time was twice as large as the Comintern, but now, in addition to the Comintern, there were also airships of various sizes and even dozens of Battlewings lined up neatly on one plain.

If Donchava’s battleships were overwhelming to behold simply because of their size, the revolutionary army’s camp was overwhelming to behold because of the countless people it must have contained.

It was beyond my imagination. I thought the level of the revolutionary army was similar when they caught the captain in a bar in the outskirts. Considering the number of people gathered here now, if Miguel had been caught in Siapo at that time, the flames of war would have spread all the way to the north.

Doljumeok and Maro, like Jincheol, couldn’t hide their admiration at the scale of the garrison. Maro’s eyes were especially bright, but Jincheol couldn’t help but notice that they were not very good. A child who longs for the military. How on earth did you educate him, Doljumeok?

Ramien also couldn’t take her eyes off the Battlewings lined up on one side. Now that she thought about it, her specialty was Battlewings. Even the airship they were currently riding wasn’t her main weapon.

Jincheol, who had been observing the group, turned his head and flinched. Everyone was busy looking outside the cockpit, but Snow was quietly looking at him. It was as if he was observing Jincheol, who was observing the group.

Jincheol looked at that gaze and asked with his lips.

‘why?’

‘···’

She was silent today as well. Jincheol thought that was how it was going to be. There seemed to be many generals who were good at talking in this land of Rabito, so he had a silly thought that maybe having one mute Esai would balance the world.

After landing in a corner of the garrison, the group headed toward the center of the garrison, led by Aiman ​​and Haita. People’s eyes were immediately drawn to them, as Camponi, Esai, Olog, and even ancient humans, unknown to them, were swarming about, so naturally, their eyes were drawn to them.

Fortunately, no one blocked the road or started a fight. Instead, some people seemed to recognize Snow in her owl mask and bowed their heads to show respect.

After seeing that, Haita said to Snow.

“Are you popular?”

“···”

Snow didn’t answer. It was a silence that caught Haita off guard, who had been speaking lightly, off guard, so she blinked and looked back at Jincheol. What is this?

“You’re not usually very talkative.”

“···Is that so?”

When Jincheol gave a vague answer, Haita looked at Snow with his usual strange gaze. Jincheol pretended not to notice the gaze, but he could tell by the fact that his eyes were rolling around inside the owl mask.

Regardless of their conversation, the group crossed the garrison and arrived at a tent that could be called a command center. Miguel, who was talking to his staff with a serious expression and a large cigarette in his mouth, noticed the group entering the tent.

“Jincheol! Snow! And the other friends! Everyone survived without getting hurt!”

He laughed and greeted the group with a big smile. It seemed like it was only a short time ago that they had rescued him from Siapó, but in that short time, Miguel’s expression had changed a lot.

If you mixed tiredness and boredom in a jar called unpleasantness and spread it on your face, it would look like that. To put it more simply, Miguel’s forehead was filled with irritation and fatigue.

Of course, it wasn’t his feelings towards Jincheol and his group. He greeted the group as they entered the command post and extended his hand to Jincheol.

“Battlewings? I thought at least three were going to be dispatched.”

“I dropped them all.”

“All three? Even if there was support sorties, how could that be?”

“With the help of a great pilot and Aiman.”

When Jincheol held the hand that was outstretched and said that, he laughed loudly again. Ramien, who was called an excellent pilot, laughed a little awkwardly next to him. Another Rabito approached Miguel who was laughing like that. He was a Rabito who was among the staff, and he looked like a smart intellectual with round glasses and neat clothes.

Only the child who saw him spoke.

“He’s our friend. Thanks to him, we were able to catch sight of the contemplative gathering that was active on this continent.”

Aha. That bespectacled rabbit is a knight? Jincheol looked at him and he reached out to Jincheol. These guys really like shaking hands.

“Nice to meet you. It’s Pastel. I’ve heard a lot about you from Aiman.”

“Really? What did you hear?”

“He was said to be a warrior with incredible skills, even acknowledged by the nobles of Shiol. However, he expressed regret, saying that if he were to learn swordsmanship from him, he would become several times stronger.”

When Jincheol looked at Aiman ​​at those words, he shrugged his shoulders.

“Why? If you really just learn a few techniques, you can become much stronger.”

What is the law? It’s not a martial arts novel. As Jincheol was laughing, Miguel clapped his hands.

“Thank you for coming here, Jincheol. According to the radio transmission from Solkain, you said that you were going to rescue the people who were taken to Urata?”

Getting straight to the point. Jincheol nodded.

“And I’m also interested in the Rostang ruins.”

“Rostan Ruins… I was able to hear a lot of information as I came down to the south. And according to that information, tens of thousands of people have been taken to the excavation site so far, and hundreds of people have already died.”

Jincheol frowned as if he was puzzled.

“Excavation is all about digging the ground, so why did so many people die?”

“Well, it’s an ancient ruin. No one knows what dangers are hidden beneath that thick layer of dirt. There are probably countless things that we can’t figure out, from simple old traps to uncontrollable monsters to labyrinths that we can’t find our way through. There are even ruins that will make you sick and die just by getting close to them.”

Miguel sighed and continued.

“Originally, we should have been continuing the ceasefire negotiations… but this crazy author, Rahiman, is making crazy demands. And with Rostang’s work piled up, we ended up fighting instead of reaching an agreement.”

“What if it’s a fight?”

“The troops gathered here now are the entire main force of our revolutionary army. Except for the troops left here to maintain order here and there in Jaso Land, they are all gathered here. Do you understand why?”

“···I plan on fighting just once.”

Miguel nodded at Jincheol’s answer.

“I don’t have the strength to fight twice. I have to win this fight and rescue the young people who were captured in order for Jasso to have a future. Of course, Rahiman is also the same as me because the scars of the previous war still remain, so I have to win this fight. That’s fortunate. In this situation, you are participating!”

Participation. Participation. I don’t know how it came to this. When I came to this Eastern Continent, I was only thinking about finding Snow and finding traces of the reconstruction of Ophesis. But somehow, I rolled around and searched for Ramien’s lover, and eventually, I ended up standing here.

When I got on Donchava’s battleship, I had no intention of getting involved in someone else’s war. When I turned my head, the other party members didn’t seem to have any particular resistance even after hearing that they were going to war.

Ramien was originally a pilot of Jasso, and his lover was also taken to Rostang, so of course he was full of the will to fight. Doljumeok was originally an allog who came to this land to fight, and Maro, a country boy, was influenced by Doljumeok, and his eyes sparkled.

Snow was wearing an owl mask, so it was hard to tell what kind of expression he had, but he had boarded the airship to rescue the people who had been captured, so he would fight anyway.

Then what about Aiman ​​and Haita? Aiman ​​was talking about killing the general of Urata like some kind of hero who would punish the villain, and Haita seemed to be buried there. To be exact, it felt like he was helping Aiman.

As he looked around, Harmen and his group of warm-hearted men were nowhere to be seen. They had stayed on the airship from the beginning. The thought crossed Jincheol’s mind that they should have stayed there.

What if I don’t participate in the war here? Then the information I’ve gathered so far about the gathering of meditation and Ophesis will be useless. There’s no reason to go all the way to this eastern continent.

No, no. It’s strange to go to war for something you can’t even say clearly. If you really think Ophesis is humanity and are trying to find them, wouldn’t it be better to figure out how to infiltrate them rather than going to war?

Perhaps he had simply come to the battlefield, drawn like a moth to a light, back into the karma he had so desperately wanted to escape.

“···Jincheol?”

Ramien called him. Jincheol, who had been lost in thought, raised his head and just smiled.

Miguel, seeing that his mood was strange, raised his voice again.

“Hmm. You seem quite tired from coming by airship. Well, you were attacked by Battlewings too… I’ll give you a place to stay for now, so go and rest.”

The group left the command post and were guided by the private. Jincheol and his group were all assigned to a barrack next to Aiman. As soon as Jincheol entered, he felt his body sag. Damn, this is the real army.

It was a similar feeling to the one I had when I boarded Donchava’s battleship before. Even then, the mercenary quarters resembled military barracks, and I felt a strange sense of helplessness.

Unlike Jincheol, who was so relaxed, the other members of the group were busy.

Ramien was immediately assigned a Battlewing, and Stonefist and Maro rushed out of the barracks after hearing that they would not only repair their trucks but also arm them. Snow also went out again after receiving a call from Miguel, so Jincheol was left alone in the barracks.

“···This feels like a chore.”

Jincheol lay on the barracks bed—it seemed like two bunks for Rabito were connected—and muttered as he looked up at the barracks ceiling. He remembered the days when he had been a sergeant in his later years, when he would find a corner and curl up. At that time, he had no idea that a real war would break out.

“Hey… Jincheol?”

While he was half asleep, someone came to the barracks. Jincheol turned his head as he lay there, and the owner of the voice was Haita.

“why?”

She turned her gaze back to the ceiling and smiled bashfully at Jincheol’s questioning voice.

“Just. Jincheol didn’t seem to be in a good mood earlier.”

“Not good.”

“···why?”

“This is not my war.”

Jincheol, who said that, thought for a moment and then changed his words.

“No. If it’s my war, what’s the difference? It’s all the same shit. Anyway, I don’t know what I’m doing here.”

When Haita heard that, she slowly approached him and sat down on the bed next to Jincheol. Then she looked at Jincheol with a smiling face and said.

“Why did Jincheol come here?”

“···Ishanka’s request. And based on the information I got from Shiol, I wanted to find out about the meditation gathering.”

There was one more thing to say. I wanted to see the ruins being excavated in Rostang, which were most likely the ‘American Arsenal’.

“You’re saying that you didn’t come to interfere with the Rabbitos’ war?”

“okay.”

“Then would you like to leave together now?”

Jincheol’s gaze, which had been looking at the ceiling, turned back to Haita. A faint smile still appeared on her face as their eyes met.

However, Jincheol’s keen eyesight showed her trembling eyes and her swallowing her saliva. Jincheol, who was quietly watching her, smiled and said.

“Why? Do you suddenly want to throw away everything you have and leave?”

“···Isn’t that what Jincheol wants to do right now?”

Oh, why is he like this again? Jincheol sighed inwardly. But instead of sighing, he smiled and said.

“What makes you want to throw it away so badly?”

“···It’s my destiny.”

“fatality?”

“Yes. An old destiny to support the royal lineage of Sandesiya and revive the old kingdom.”

A difficult story is coming up. Jincheol scratched his head.

“If it’s the royal line, then that pirate?”

“···Yes. Harmen. He is the legitimate heir apparent who has been found after decades. And I am the last descendant of the old royal sorcerer bloodline. I must assist the heir well and restore the Sandesiya royal family.”

“Well, I don’t know for sure, but he doesn’t seem to be interested in things like the king. Isn’t that why he ran away from Sioux last time?”

The smile on Haita’s lips had disappeared.

“That’s right. He doesn’t really care. He doesn’t care about my fate. He only cares about himself. So I…”

Her mouth was silent. She kept her mouth shut and looked down at the floor. Jincheol watched her for a moment and eventually sat up.

“So you want to focus on yourself, and that’s why you want to get away from here. You don’t want to get caught up in something like a war.”

“···That’s right. But that doesn’t mean I want to ignore you. You’ve always helped me and guided me. This time, I want to help you.”

The desire to ignore fate, war, and everything and run away somewhere. The desire to help only the child who was always on your side. You’re conflicted between the two. Jincheol sniffed and rubbed the back of his neck. Why did this suddenly become a counseling session? I’m really bad at this.

Jincheol, who had been thinking for a moment, blurted out.

“Then just do it moderately.”

“···yes?”

Haita’s blank face. Jincheol, who was about to spit it out and then said, “Oh no,” but he didn’t know and just said it.

“Just help the child moderately, take care of Harmen moderately, and if it doesn’t work out, then quit. You’re a magician, aren’t you? I don’t know much about it, but if you have that one talent, I think you’ll be treated well wherever you go in the world. Try it moderately here, and if it really doesn’t work out, just leave for somewhere and make a decent living with that talent.”

At Jincheol’s words, Haita’s mouth fell open. It seemed as if he had no idea what to say or what Jincheol meant. However, after a while, he tilted his head and smiled awkwardly.

“···What should I say? Is that cynical or optimistic?”

“Usually, people who live like this are said to be weak-willed or lacking in determination.”

At those words, Haita laughed. Jincheol couldn’t tell whether it was really funny or just because it was so absurd. Damn, I’m also in deep trouble right now.

But in the end, Jincheol followed her lead and laughed heartily. When Jincheol laughed like that, Haita’s laughter grew bigger at seeing him, and when her laughter grew bigger, Jincheol’s laughter grew bigger too.

The two laughed for a long time in the middle of the spacious barracks. After a while, when the laughter died down, Haita said, wiping away tears that had welled up.

“Ha, this is the first time I’ve heard such a mess of advice.”

“I’ve never seen anyone laugh like that before, you punk.”

She smiled faintly at Jincheol’s words. Jincheol, who was looking at her face, slowly stood up.

“why?”

“One of the joys of being a sergeant in his later years is going to his junior’s place and having a blast. Since it doesn’t seem like his problems have been resolved, how about sharing that joy with him?”

“great!”

When Jincheol held out his hand, Haita quickly grabbed it and stood up. However, after that, a look of regret crossed her expression as she saw his hand naturally fall away.

After leaving the barracks with her, Jincheol looked around the garrison full of rabbits, and then he remembered the place where the Battle Wings had gathered before he came here and started walking. It wasn’t far from the barracks where he was, so he was able to arrive there quickly.

“hey!”

Ramien, who was coming down from the cockpit, turned her head when she heard a voice calling her from behind. Then, she noticed Jincheol and Haita and made a puzzled expression. She came down from the ladder, took off her gloves, shook them out, and approached the two.

“What? What’s going on?”

“What’s the matter? Do you like the new fighter jet?”

She smiled faintly, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

“Do you like it? Well then, I do. If you take that Battlewing, you can get from here to Ipani in ten minutes. It’s the fastest way to get to Rostang after defeating Rahiman.”

You really only think about your lover. It was understandable. You went to Solkain and were taken to the East Camp. You went to the East Camp and were kidnapped and taken to Rostang. It was natural that Ramien’s heart grew more and more affectionate.

Jincheol was just asking Ramien to tell him more about Battlewing.

A loud siren blared throughout the garrison.

“···what?”

The sudden siren sounded, and at that moment, both Jincheol and the other Rabitos around him were startled. Jincheol felt a strange sense of crisis ringing the alarm bell, sending shivers down his spine, after waking up from a long sleep.

He quickly turned his head and saw a huge flying battleship appearing through the clouds in the southern sky. The battleship’s cannons were firing.

The next moment, Jincheol saw a shell flying slightly later than the sound. The reason why the shell was so clearly visible at that moment was clear. It was flying directly towards Jincheol, Haita, and Ramien.

Jincheol pulled Haitha’s arm and threw him and Ramien over there, while raising the shield on his right arm.

An ear-splitting explosion, vibration and pressure. The body was thrown backwards so lightly that it seemed as if it had been picked up by a giant.

“Jincheol-!”

Haita’s scream. Jincheol straightened up just as he had been rolling. Of course, even then, the force of being pushed back did not dissipate, so he was pushed back. After the smoke cleared, Jincheol was seen, and Haita, who had screamed in surprise, looked so normal that it was awkward.

Jincheol looked down at his trembling right arm. The translucent protective shield had disappeared, and a faint current flowed out of the armor on his right forearm. He just hoped it wasn’t completely broken.

Jincheol raised his head. He saw the garrison in disarray due to the sudden surprise attack by the flying battleship. He also saw the battleship continuously spewing flames and the Battlewings flying out from it like flies.

“It’s a surprise attack from Urata!”

Ramien was right. It was a familiar battleship. Jincheol muttered, pulling the corners of his mouth into a fierce smile.

“···You’ve cleared up all my worries.”

Then Ramien jumped up onto the Battle Wing he had landed on and shouted at Jincheol.

“Jincheol! Get on!”

The meaning of her cry was clear. The airship was in the sky. It was out of Jincheol’s reach. So what?

Then just fly away.