Diary 7:
I am self-aware that I am boring you readers that are wishing some actions to happen. To be honest with you, I can't guarantee that my life right now will have many actions or not. These events so far were just thrown at me without my control, so right now, things are not crazy yet. These events that have happened to me so far are just normal things, except for a little bit of magic.
Right now, I am preparing myself mentally because I know that this game system won't let me live easily. After all, as far as I know, I am the only one that is having a game system and also the only one to have encountered a monster.
The thing that I still don't understand is, why did the game system keep on quiet all this time? If it wasn't for me keeping on writing these diaries, I think by now I would have forgotten that I even have the game system.
What is its purpose? Why do I have it? What will happen to me? These are some of the hundreds of questions that kept circling around my head when I went to sleep at night.
Oh and one more thing, Are people in this world real or are they just NPCs? Long Dao, Van Kiep, and the other soldiers in my troop are too 'human' to me. I have observed them since day one to see how they would behave, they are all so complicated that I would be surprised if the creator actually put this much effort into creating these people.
Long Dao and Van Kiep have multiple sides of characters. Long Dao can be a cold leader and sometimes a psychopath, but at the same time, she is a heartwarming person who would not leave behind anyone that needs help.
Van Kiep, on the other hand, is a strong fighter with her loyalty only to her prince. To everyone else, she is like a cold princess but to her master, she is just a puppy and sometimes also a psycho when her master is hurt.
The other soldiers are not one-sided characters as well. From talking to them, I saw that they have dreams and interests. They are noble to sacrifice their well-being so that other people won't have to be forced to join the army. Their playfulness and drinking late at night are just temporary band-aids that help their hearts feel easier.
These soldiers are scared as well. At home, they have elderly parents, wives, and children that have no one to protect them. On the battlefield, one second of slip up will result in your head on the ground. Day by day as I was watching them, these people who seemed all happy and optimistic now look like vulnerable patients who only have themselves to rely on.
That… was more emotional and ink-consume than I planned it to be. I was just planning to write down a few thoughts and look at how much stuff I wrote.
Anyway, let's continue where we left off.
I woke up the next morning and the first thing I did was just sit there, remembering what just happened last night. I then prepared myself to continue marching to the capital with other soldiers like usual. But before we started to go, I went to Van Kiep to check if she was doing okay.
When I was in front of the tent, I was about to go in. But then I remembered how in those anime where the main character accidentally walked into a girl's place without knocking first and got punched in the face for seeing things they are not supposed to. Smiling, I called from the outside, "Van Kiep, can I come in?"
Inside the tent, Van Kiep responded, "Oh, please wait a minute. I am changing right now."
"Ha! I knew it. Game system oh game system, these cliches you are throwing to me will never be effective," I was thinking high of myself.
It was about five minutes that had passed until Van Kiep called me, "You can enter now."
Hearing that I walked in. "How is your health now Van Kiep?" I asked.
"My prince, thanks to you, I am doing very well," she smiled.
"If you are done, let's go out and eat breakfast. Because of your condition, Long Dao ordered me to move you using a cart," I said.
"Oh, I will walk myself. How can a maid like me make you have a hard time" Van Kiep refused immediately as expected.
"Don't try to argue with me. I am hungry right now. Let's go," I smiled and then left the tent first so that she can't talk back at me.
(Now, I will be honest here. If it hasn't been clear to you who are reading this, let me tell you that I am a lazy dog. So I will cut the fun part of me and Van Kiep being teased by fellow soldiers at the cafeteria and skip to where it is important.)
After the troop finished with our breakfasts, we packed up our equipment and continued marching. As Long Dao's order, I was giving the honored responsibility to carry Van Kiep that I know many soldiers were jealous of. To be honest, their jealousy boosted my confidence.
But then I remember there is some stuff I need to ask her about. "Hey, Van Kiep," I called.
"Yes my prince?" sitting in the cart, she turned around and looked up at me.
"You said that I left Hoa when I was eight and that my brother became king five years after that, does that mean he rose to power when he was thirteen?" I asked.
"Yes, my prince, your brother is the youngest king in Hoa history. That was also the reason why many officials doubted and disrespected him," Van Kiep answered.
"Do you know how he became king?" I asked again because I know him rising to power without any powerful allies besides the queen is very unusual.
"No, my prince. I don't know the details," Van Kiep admitted.
"Oh and also, why did my brother start the war with Lai two years ago?" I changed the subject.
"That is because of you, my prince," Van Kiep replied.
"Me?" I was confused when she said that.
"Yes," she nodded. "The king was furious that you haven't returned to Hoa. Even though Lai tried their best to explain that they did let us go, he didn't believe it. Only you and I knew what happened. And so the king started this war in hopes to have enough pressure on Lai that they will eventually agree to release you."
I didn't respond immediately and took a moment to think. Then, before my eyes, I saw a huge tower. "That must be the capital," I thought. Hearing other soldiers yelling in excitement confirmed my suspicion.
Looking at them, I decided, "You should leave now and return to Hoa."