Marcus saw Caleb walk in. Seeing Marcus, he said, "You are not asleep. Would you mind a chat?"
"I am all ears, and there are also some things that I would want to know if possible."
Caleb nodded, as if to tell Marcus he understood.
"Coby told me that you asked him some questions about his father."
"Yes, you already know? It's good then. I was going to ask about them anyway."
Caleb took a seat across from Marcus. He took a drink of the liquor he brought with him in a pouch.
"You see, this is a long story, so where should I start from? Maybe from the beginning, I guess."
Caleb mumbled to himself while Marcus remained silent.
"You see, a long time ago, I was a swordsman of the Cornwell family. The father of the current knight Cornwell was the one I served.
We were comrades in arms rather than master and subordinate. I was also the one who taught his son.
His trust in me was so strong that he wanted me to become his right-hand commander.
A commander in a knight's personal army might be a nobody in the whole imperial army, but it was a big deal for a commoner like me, you see.
But I refused..."
As he was tired after recounting this much, he took a sip of his drink.
"Ah, sorry, this was the last one. If there was more, I would have offered you."
"No, no, there is no need for that. You should continue."
Caleb let out a light chuckle; he understood Marcus was trying to lighten up the mood.
"You see, unlike now, those were the days of brutal wars and raids. I was on the battlefield every day, fighting for my life.
I grew tired of it; it was a miracle that I was able to survive so far. You see, unlike the nobles who just sit on their horses away from the battlefield just to run away if the tide of war turns against them, we don't have that kind of luxury.
Unlike archers, swordsmen like us had to fight close and personal. Every life you take will be etched into your memories.
And then they will return in your sleep. I was no longer young and didn't have the will of a swordsman anymore. I just wanted to be a simple man who could live happily with my wife and children.
This house you see was a gift given to me by the lord. He also gave me a plot of land for farming.
He told me this is what I deserved after my years of service. He truly was a great man; he was neither afraid of the battlefield nor did he give up on his creed like me.
After retiring, I had two kids, a boy and a girl. I gave them the names Lui and Cacy. We were supposed to be a happy family, but you know misfortune strikes when we least expect it.
Lui was a bright boy; he used to learn things quickly. I taught him swordsmanship and horse riding out of passion. Little did I know that I was going to regret it later.
When Lui was young, my wife passed. This was the time I started drinking since, you know... Drinking was not allowed in the army.
I was a barbarian who could just kill people; I did not know how to raise children. I will never forgive myself for the neglect I caused them.
That was how the distance between me and my children grew. But it was still manageable, but the final straw was Cacy's death.
I was not in the village at that time, and Lui didn't tell me anything. The only thing I got to know was from the fellow villagers, who were equally as clueless.
They didn't see Cacy play around like she normally does, nor did they see Lui. It was all of a sudden; one day, Lui came to them for help, and when they reached the house, they only found Cacy's lifeless body.
Lui told them Cacy fell ill for a few days, and he didn't know what to do. The villagers bought his words, since they thought since he was so young, he didn't know what to do in a situation like that. After all, they were neglected kids, and the fault lay with the man who neglected them.
That was a long time ago; at that time, the villagers had a terrible opinion of me. Even though time has changed many things, not all things can be forgotten so easily.
And I have no problem with that; it was indeed my fault, and I was never able to make up for it as a father.
The only problem I had is that Lui most likely lied to the villagers. I had known him since he was a baby; no one knew him better than me. I know he could definitely have asked for help if his sister was sick. And would have tried everything he could do to help her. Sadly, he never spoke to me about it, and I would never know what really happened.
This was also a wake-up call for me. I wanted to give more attention and love to my son, but it was for naught. Once an arrow is shot, it cannot be taken back.
Lui, who had lost the two most important people to him, was isolating himself from everyone; he also started his training under the knight, since he had some basic knowledge, he was easily taken in.
I was against it but couldn't force him to leave the regiment. The only thing I could make him do was force him to marry a woman.
This was how Mai became a part of my family. Even though he agreed and even had a kid, he didn't show much attachment to them.
I gave him all my savings as a little apology but rather than using it to live a happy life with his family he bought better swords, armor, and gear.
Not long after, Coby was born, a civil war broke out in the empire. Knight Cornwell was called to arms, and my son followed him to the battlefield. There was no way for me to stop him.
Even the little boy who grew up to become knight Cornwell did not have the same opinion as me as he did when he was a child.
One day a letter was sent to me stating my son had gone missing during the action. Only I, a veteran, knew what it meant. People whose bodies are mutilated beyond recognition are put in this category. There was no hope for someone to come back after being mentioned in the missing list."