"You crazy arsonist bastard!"
A rock was thrown at the rally of soldiers walking through the streets. The other citizens didn't have much better expression either.
Clack!
The rock hit the helmet of a soldier, but he didn't stop walking. Halbert didn't bother even glancing at the citizens on the sidewalks.
All kinds of waste were thrown on his battalion, however, no one spoke a single word. They all sported dead faces just like Halbert.
'...Hmph, this is what we receive after saving all of them.' Halbert knew the reason for their current attitude, but it still dissatisfied him.
It was still at the beginning phase of being attacked by the mysterious empire.
To defeat an opponent unaffected by the bullets, Halbert could only use the most reckless method he could think up.
Like....burning a whole section of the city after cutting down the escape route of the enemy. This way, Halbert had made the enemy soldier retreat, even killing a few unfortunate ones. But the price paid was horrendous, the enemy had some hostages to gain information — they were burnt to death in the end.
'...They all should have just burnt and died too.' Halbert's eyes glowed dimly as he blankly stared forward.
At this point, he didn't care about anything, aside from killing the Empire's soldiers. Only his comrade's life was what mattered in his mind.
'I never joined for the well-being of the citizens anyway.'
One of Halbert's comrades stepped forward to walk beside him.
"Sir, We in the end are just human."
Halbert's attention shifted to him, causing the soldier to smile with his dead eyes.
"Humans are always like this, self-centered and easily offended for their well-being. But I... like to follow you, major. You make me feel like I am alive as if there is a meaning to my life."
Deep emotions left the soldier's mouth.
"Whatever these people say, it wouldn't affect me. So, please command our battalion like usual, sir."
"Ah." Halbert grasped, with a small smile, he didn't expect to get cheering at such a time. He made sure to remember the name of the soldier at that moment.
(Galven)
"Don't worry. I won't stop just because of these people."
Looking at the two soldiers talking while smiling, the citizen's wrath broke through the roof.
Getting hit by more and more rock, Halbert broke into a series of laughter. The soldier behind him began smirking while laughing too, following his lead. It was as if they had all gone insane.
'I will destroy the empire. So that I can live with peace of mind for the rest of my life.' However, Halbert suddenly felt lost, as if he was very far away from that goal.
As if a bubble had popped, Nicokel jolted his eyes open.
'....It was a dream, huh?' Nicokel rubbed his eyes softly while feeling a hole in his heart. Slowly the depressing feeling submerged as he regulated his breathing.
Truthfully, Nicokel wasn't going to the battlefield because he was indebted to his comrade or felt pressured because he was the only one alive.
He just wanted to enjoy his second life, just like in the first one. He wanted to go to the battlefield because that is where he felt the most excited.
'I have gotten used to living here. I have been working my hardest too, but my body is still not ready.' Nicokel picked up the book from his shelves, he was gathering all information through the books he could access.
Two weeks had passed and he had grown a lot slim too. The fats in his face had decreased by almost half.
'Time for another hectic day then.'
.....
The Duke Verskein had four wives in total and Trenae Verskein was one of them.
Unlike the other three wives who had a huge influence, Trenae was just a daughter of the Viscount family.
Due to this, she developed an inferiority complex, a deep-rooted one at that. She wanted her son to be the next head of the Verskein family no matter what.
'This is driving me crazy!' Trenae bit her lips in frustration. She had kept a close watch on Nicokel for the past two weeks and in the end, she got more and more confused. No one could predict his next move.
In the first week, Nicokel began training looking like he was ready to die. Everyone could feel his determination in those actions, it really didn't suit Nicokel's past image.
At one point, it had become natural to see Nicokel running early in the morning.
However, that was not the end.
'That bastard began visiting the knight training ground every day, from the second week onwards!' Trenae was bothered by this point.
In the past, Nicokel kept his distance from the knight in all situations. They were like water and oil.
But now, that same Nicokel visited the knight's habitat like the most natural thing. His actions after going there were strange too, he just sat in one corner and watched the knight train with a blank expression.
'The citizens of the mansion have already grown used to his unpredictable action at this point. But it really gets on my nerves when I can't tell what his goal is. Did getting rejected by his future wife hurt him that much?' Trenae looked outside the window of her room.
'...There is no need for any more observation right now. I misunderstood looking at his blank expression, I thought that he was trying to hide something.'
'I wondered if he would try to increase his influence or something similar, but it turned out to be a useless worry.'
Thinking about Nicokel's mother, Trenae clenched the fan in her hand.
Trenae spoke addressing Gelen: "There is no need to watch that pig....anymore. Concentrate on your training to become elite."
"Understood, Mother." Gelen bowed and moved to meet the instructor his mother called.
Even when compared to most of the other heirs, Gelen's talent and aptitude were not inferior. This fact made him not bother about whatever Nicokel did, a talentless fool.