Ashes and Kingdoms

Slowly the sun sets.

The fields, the woods, the mud-walled houses, everything is stained with gold, and the density of the purple roots shadows. A miracle between the bundles, which also reminds me of the beauty of the world by raising my face, which I've just been nagging about all day at a wild job.

But there was nothing in the heart of the boy that stood in it.

On the other side of the forest, a disc of light meets the horizon where the ridges of successive hills form, moisturizing and melting.

The smell of a flower from somewhere twirls in the breeze and tickles your cheeks with sweet kindness.

The noise of evening meals from the households, the smell of wheat porridge that satisfies the hunger.

- I'm tired.

From the boy's mouth, a long, deep breath spills. Outside the village, standing on the border between the woods and the fields, he dropped his hands sloppily. A bunch of firewood collected over the course of a day is loosened on the ground, scattered with poor minister twigs.

- I wonder how long I'll have to do this.

plow the fields, water them, and take the worms that will follow them later, and crush them, and feed them to ducks and cattle. The fruit we finally get quickly disappears into everyone's belly.

Still, when I look at my parents working at me every day, I don't think I can be lazy.

I suppose, but on such a dusk, it will be vain. So we lived like ants crawling through the earth, wondering what lies ahead.

- Even though my father and mother are sure to die as they are.

Nothing changed, nothing changed. Without getting involved in anything funny or heartbreaking. Just live for nothing, die.

Even the boy's still young eyes felt like he could totally foresee it to the end of his long life. I even see myself walking down the gray road, and I get distracted by disappointment.

(Let's get out of here)

Unexpectedly, such an idea was clearly shaped in my head.

A little further north. Another burglar has appeared recently. He doesn't remember, but when he was still very young, there were a number of bandit groups around here that would have been immediately taken away if something had come to fruition in the field at all.

If you just repeat every day like this, if you're on the side of taking it away, wouldn't it be easier to live? Can we have exciting and exciting days?

I'm sick and tired of the miserable self crawling in the village, my family, tied to the fields.

(Oh, I hate everything...)

Covered his face in fatigue and grief, exhaled a heavy sigh, then.

"Don't you want it?

A tongueless toddler's voice was heard from nowhere.

The moment the boy looked up a little,

"If you don't want it, give it to me"

With sweet paralysis, all sensations were interrupted.

A chapter

It was the fifth year since the proclamation of the State by the Republic of Elphalenia, in the spring of 1095 of the Official Calendar, that a derogatory call from Eastern Commander Valt arrived at the home of Tenryu Hou.

"Still a dirty letter..."

Face the matter first than the content, Finn spread the letter as he moved to a bright spot.

As he travels southeast down the streets from the area where he once drove out a group of bandits, he reaches Murkia, the state capital of the imperial period. The eastern army, led by Valt, had rebuilt the rough all-you-can-do capital one by one, sitting there on his back and giving a glimpse to the Dolphae tribe, which looked into the gaps from the hills and meadows.

That said, in fact, the whole Mazra region is still poor and there is not enough wealth for the Dolphins to want to plunder. The Eastern Army's job is to restore security and civil engineering in the territory.

That is why the content of the call was also, after all, its relationship.

"Bandit."

He went after the letters and deciphered them, which seemed to escape, and Finn crushed them with difficulty.

Says the burglars have been active again recently in parts of the territory. The demand is to come to the crusade. Apparently, soldiers aren't enough.

Fortunately, Nanais never had a large population either, so he didn't send in another unit. Walt seems to know a lot about it, too. Nevertheless, even if there is no 'fly right over to Dragon Marquis because I can do enough for you alone'.

Not at all, not in an attitude of asking people for things.

But it's Valt, so I can't help it, and Finn folds the letter with a smile. As I was tweaking my plans in my head to see if I could leave Nanais for a while, Lena sounded happy.

Are you going to see Mr. Valt?

Oh, and I affirmed briefly in my heart, Finn let down his mouth. Because I found out what she was happy about.

Vera must be getting bigger, too.

Ugh, look forward to it!

Lena also makes her voice play to Finn, who named Valt's beloved daughter. When I came to Nanice with my wife only once before, she was just a baby, but I'm sure she'd already be walking.

Finn had nostalgia and anticipation, but soon regained his calm and changed his expression.

Still, it sounds like a hell of a lot of trouble for Valt to stick around.

When he was in Tetna as a legion soldier, Valt said he was rushing around with the momentum to devote all his life to the burglar hunt for his earlier wife's revenge. What happened to him needing backup, being such a skilled man?

Well, I guess it's time for him to be fifty, even a little faded into boulders.

- and other disrespectful speculation that if asked in person, he would surely receive his full fist bone, but I am still worried. Even if he doesn't answer, it shouldn't matter much if he's losing strength, because he should take command based on his experience and work young people.

Finn walked out to tell the relevant locations about the east row as he unconsciously played the letter lightly with his fingers.

Wet, raw, warm winds filled with the smell of soil and buds, overlapping with the smell of livestock huts, food and that. A sign that the land inhabited by men is near.

Finn walked down to the outskirts of Mulchia like a regular traveler to town on foot. I have one used back sac on my shoulder. I didn't go down directly to the barracks not only because I didn't want to stand out, but also because I wanted to make sure I had a good look around.

Layer your dragon's vision on your normal vision and look over the area as you walk down the road. Thanks to Valt's hard work, the main road connecting the north to the east and west is undergoing renovation and trading merchants are resuming their activities with a small number of them.

If there's a bandit out there, I think it's along the street... I don't see him around here.

"Right. The people in town seem calm, though not particularly dangerous. Mr. Valt, did you just miss Finn?

No way.

Unexpectedly sprinkled, Finn hurriedly pulls his mouth together. While slightly easier to pay attention, he crept through the old city gates without neglect. There were two guards, but neither appeared to be very vigilant, and Finn nodded gently at me and let me through when he dropped a change in the toll tax on the crate by the gate.

By the way, there are very few passage taxes, which are free if you bring a bill proving you are a resident of the city. Financial resources such as the repair of walls are necessary, but first of all, industrial development, people gathering priorities, etc.

For what it's worth, the city was pretty busy. Dewstores line up, luggage cars full of merchandise go and go, and construction noises echo everywhere. A tired face, a bright smile, a serious face with a downright push over the price. Various, but not only a face frightened by anxiety and fear.

However, the town itself had a more despicable atmosphere than Nanais. In addition to the boulevard, the pavement remains stripped everywhere, with old damaged buildings and new and solid buildings such as the rally point, as well as crude private houses on mud walls, crammed into each other.

When he arrived at the barracks on foot for a while, Finn grabbed the young soldiers who were there and asked Valt to take over. At first a decent soldier was surprised when he heard the name of Tenryu Hou Phineas and just jumped up.

"Wow... and excuse me, my lord!

He salutes his posture correctly like a stick was thrown into his back, and falls over momentum. Finn returned the salute with a bitter smile. Apparently, this soldier never saw Finn close by. Even the conspicuous sword is now covered, so you don't have to know.

"It's nice to meet you, excuse me for not informing you. Where's the commander?

"Oh, the, uh! Hey, I can stay and command a patrol unit on the north side this morning!

The young man answers, keeping his saluted hand down, uplifting his face. Finn smiled and turned into a tough face.

"Really, you're still a while away from going back. Now that we're appropriately running out of time in the barracks, could you tell the commander's office that I'm here?"

"Ha, ha! Um, well, if it's okay with me, no, I'll show you!

"Don't worry, just get back to work when you get in touch"

Yet he refused clearly, and the young soldier shrugged away to see. Dropping off the hindsight as she enters the building with her shine, Finn breathes in, man.

He, the Dragon Marquis, will not hold the rank of a soldier. Just like political power, we also renounced military power. In spite of this, the Republic Tenryu Army implicitly regards him as a reigning being at the apex. If Finn had anything to say in a cornered situation, all soldiers would ignore their superiors and follow Finn.

(You were so fucked in a mock fight by Lord Islev, you're not kidding.)

With the awareness that boulders are not good as they are, Finn finds time to study military matters a little bit, but he didn't think he could move the army.

If he stayed human, he might have joined the legion, followed his superiors, and somehow got promoted to command a unit. But now I didn't even want that. My feelings for life and life are different.

So I really didn't want to get too close to the barracks. I still like polishing my sword moves, but that's a completely different matter.

When he shook his head small, he walked out of nowhere. Not entering the building, avoiding the coaching grounds, slowly turning around the edge of the garden.

The barracks have not only facilities directly connected to the military, such as barracks and arsenals, but also facilities necessary for life, such as infirmaries and entertainment rooms, canteens and kitchens, as well as washrooms that handle huge amounts of laundry every day. There, a large number of non-soldiers worked.

Little children can also be heard from the quarters for residential employees. Pampers, and when I heard the sound of spreading the cloth, I glanced over at you, across the garment dried dried by a strained string, and a few soldiers like me on duty nearly put on the last piece.

Oh, man. It's over, colluding, and the soldiers leave empty cages in their hands. Finn smiled a little, then shifted his gaze and found the shadow still bent on the washroom.

Apparently, they're feminine. They're cleaning up their own dirt. Finn walked over there without any concern. In addition to the many pieces of cloth that are brushed and laundered in the barrel, there are just three cages filled with dirt that are still untouched.

(Baby diapers? Looks like it's not just for one person)

At the same time Finn was convinced, there was a murky cry from inside the building and the woman raised her tired face. And the first time I noticed Finn, I get a little giddy.

"Which one?

The woman asks in an ambiguous manner whether she should be alert or loving. The hand turned bright red with a rake, and there was blood everywhere. Finn slips his back sac down to the ground and approaches the washroom with his sleeves rolled up.

"Let's take your place. You should wash it and leave it to dry there, right?

"Huh? Um, hey"

"They're waiting until the commander gets home. I'm free, can I help you?"

"But..."

"I'm crying, please go. Get some rest, too."

The baby's voice gradually grows louder. When Finn gazed bitterly at the building, the woman remained puzzled, but then nodded.

"I'm sorry, please. You know how to use a washboard?

"I'm used to it."

Finn took the soap accordingly and went into combat placement in front of the wash bucket. She also convinced the woman when she saw there was no stray on her hands, spilling a smile softly and hurrying to the baby for a small run.

Finn, left with the cage of dirt, compared that amount to the soap in his hand.

"Is that enough...... Well, clean up as much as you can. All right."

While I was in the mood and continued to wash heartlessly, the cry was at some point dwindling. What spills through the window instead is a slight lullaby. To a gentle voice, Finn as well as Lena listen through his consciousness and happily.

By the time I had finished washing all my diapers and birthing clothes after a while, the soap had been much tinker, but I had managed to survive.

Spread and dry clean laundry piece by piece and you'll feel refreshed to the point.

As Finn continued to work in a good mood, footsteps approached him from behind. Someone soon found out, but in an attempt to clean it up first, he kept moving his hand without turning around.