NOVEL NEXT chapter 50
50 – Intoxicating discourse on how to reach what can’t be reached but should be reached
“Excuse me.”
She said, sitting casually on the edge of the rock, on her Gambison I had taken off.
“That would be a bit embarrassing.”
Because I sweated a lot earlier.
“Better than dirt or sand. If you don’t want me to sit-“
“No.”
“If so.”
She said it was nothing.
Then, she lifted her pint with her slender hand.
A beer was put in the middle of the blue eyes, and a rather alluring voice came out.
“Is it alcohol, is it insidious?”
I couldn’t hear her muttering clearly.
“Yes?”
“No. I can tell just by looking at her face.”
After muttering her incomprehensible voice, she reached out her arm towards me.
“Would you like to recite a toast, Mr. G-House?”
“Even this time, our squad leader…”
All sorts of rhetoric protruding from occupational disease came out.
It was a piece of life as a graduate student.
And I put it in right away.
“……”
It was thanks to seeing her expression harden slightly.
That’s why, he smiled and said only one word.
“… Tada?”
No answer came back.
But I didn’t even put my glass down, so that’s ok.
Tak.
The sun in the wooden cup swayed slightly.
She tipped her glass slightly.
Obviously I was drinking beer, and seeing that made me thirsty.
Because the loss was greater than the satisfaction, I turned my head slightly and drank.
Then the prianian squad leader asked.
“Why are you turning your head? Do I drink so messily?”
“Kuhhh.”
While I was struggling to suppress my attempt to climb up my nose, the prianian squad leader asked again.
“Isn’t G-house the one who asked to have a drink together?”
“Not that.”
“Otherwise?”
The sullen laugh was revealed again.
“Is my face so hateful?”
She put her hand on her lips.
The moon was bright today.
Seeing that the place where her fingertips touched was shiny and glowing red, it is true that the moon is bright today.
“Mr. G-House.”
“Yes, squad leader.”
It’s an order. Please answer honestly.
When she said that, her eyes widened slightly.
“Why did you drink without looking directly at the person?”
“Where I lived, people told me to drink alcohol without touching the face of a superior-“
“Is this the East?”
“Yes?”
Prianian Squad Leader said without erasing his polite smile.
“This is Britian, why are you bringing up Eastern common sense?”
“No…”
“Is no the answer? I think you’ll be a bit disappointed then. Did I hit the core too much?”
She started weaving the net with words.
All the fish caught in the net could do was struggle.
“It’s because I’m too used to it.”
“It’s a pity, if I had been a little more ripe, I would have seen my neck turn the other way like an owl.”
“Sorry.”
“There is nothing in the world that ends just because you are sorry.”
In that tone, something overlapped.
-Is your military service over if you’re sorry?
Why does it sound familiar?
I don’t have to apologize, but my military service ended in a month?
While she was lost in thought, she saw something in front of her eyes.
“Come on.”
She smiled and waved her outstretched arm.
I couldn’t see how much was left in her glass.
“Did you say cup?”
“Damn it.”
Tak.
The pints collided again.
Before she put her glass to her mouth, she added a word.
“Look at me.”
Cool.
At the sudden words, her dry cough came out.
“Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean much.”
“Yes?”
“I think you can think of it as a process of adapting to the British locale.”
The prianian squad leader’s eyes were calm when he said that.
“If a member of my squad goes somewhere and says that, I’m the one who gets scolded.”
“That, squad leader.”
“It’s an order.”
I decided to do that.
Once again woven.
Now the dry beer, which didn’t even make the tip of the tongue pop, went back into his throat.
And in front of me, blue eyes were staring at me.
…No, maybe by my side.
Inadvertently, as usual, I was about to raise the angle of the glass when I heard her voice.
“Eyes.”
I lowered the glass again and fixed the focus.
This time I looked a little farther away from her.
Somehow, I feel like that’s the way it should be.
Squad leader Priianian lowered his glass, his face slightly red.
She seemed weak to the drink, but didn’t speak.
There’s nothing more stupid than asking a drunk person if he’s drunk.
“Are you sure you won’t do that anymore?”
She nodded at her question.
Because it’s better to be a yes man than to make that embarrassing eye contact.
She opened her mouth in satisfaction.
“Good.”
Prianian Squad Leader put the pint down out of sight from me.
“Now that you’ve had a drink, can I hear about your troubles?”
Suddenly, a chill went down his spine.
“…Yes?”
“I wonder if you have to eat snacks to hear it.”
With that said, she took her meat with her fingers and put it in her mouth.
“Ugh, voila.”
The way her face was contorted wasn’t bad, but there was still something questionable about it.
“Are you worried?”
The prianian squad leader, who quenched his thirst with beer again, opened his mouth.
“Among the people who sigh gracefully on a rock alone on a moonlit night, it is not common to find someone without a single worry.”
She raised her glass.
At that shaking, I couldn’t hear the sound that should have followed.
So she must have been drunk.
Both of us.
“In addition, it is especially true for those who put two glasses of wine there, as if everyone had been waiting for it.”
At the words of the prianian squad leader, I was troubled.
“It goes without saying that a squad leader takes care of his squad members.”
I asked again.
“Is that all?”
“Just that.”
After hearing that, for some reason, my mouth felt itchy.
Perhaps he was drunk.
“If only.”
So she borrowed the power of alcohol and opened her mouth.
“What if?”
“Suppose there is something that is out of reach but must be grasped.”
“Yes.”
Of course, you can’t talk about the thesis, and there’s no need to.
It doesn’t matter if she understands.
Because I’m the only one who can go back to re-submit my thesis.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand.
She will remain a great squad leader.
“In a situation where I was in a lot of trouble because of that, and in a state where I didn’t move and only my feet were stomping.”
“Yes.”
I will only put out that much.
There was no other reason.
“If you feel like you’re slowly decaying in time, but what if you can’t do anything about it right now.”
It’s just to return a favor to a favor.
“If that person is the squad leader, what would you do?”
“Um.”
She was troubled.
In my opinion, it was a pleasant response.
Because there is no gesture that shows respect for others better than the time spent listening to and thinking about their concerns.
“Mr. G-House.”
Then, she opened her mouth.
“Yes, squad leader.”
“On the contrary, I will ask only one question.”
“Yes?”
A question to a question.
I nodded.
From the mouth of the prianian squad leader, the question I just said came out almost exactly as it was.
“If you must reach the unreachable, what should you do?”
“Isn’t that what I said?”
“Plagiarism is easy after the second attempt. Any answer?”
I was worried too.
The answer was fixed.
However, there was a coldness in her voice that wanted me to find a customized answer.
So I spat it out with a little more care.
“Pile under your feet.”
“That is such a childish answer.”
“No.”
I was talking.
“Your feet should be on the ground, but your eyes should be looking up at the sky. And build that foundation little by little. Until your hands reach.”
There is also a famous phrase, Until you reach the stars with faith.
But what we need is not the stars.
The destination.
“Can I reach you?”
To her question, I answered with a nod.
“If you keep piling up, you will be able to reach it someday, I can say for sure.”
People are great because they can take on challenges.
The human anthem is the anthem of courage.
It’s not that kind of floating noise.
It’s just that I’m going crazy if I deny that I can catch it.
Because I’m crazy and I can’t stand it.
Just, just like that.
So I have no doubts about this proposition.
“I don’t think I can answer that question from Captain Priianian. After all, this is advice, and you do everything yourself.”
After hearing my answer, she smiled and asked.
“Could there be a more realistic answer?”
“Sorry. This is the most realistic answer I’m facing right now. I haven’t reached the target yet.”
If I did, I wouldn’t be here.
“If I can even slightly touch my fingertips later, I will update my answer again at that time.”
That’s why, after I finished talking, I laughed heartily.
“Now, this is the most realistic answer I can give you. Now I want you to answer my question. Squad leader.”
Priyanian squad leader muttered, putting a finger to his lips.
“It is strange. Who said that questions can be answered with questions?”
“If you give a normal answer to a customized answer, it’s impossible to be sincere. Please give me a realistic answer.”
She asked again.
“What did the question say? ‘There is something I can’t reach, but I must grab, but I feel like I’m going crazy because I can’t reach it.’ Did you say that?”
I nodded.
It’s simple.
She gave the answer right away.
“Shoot it down.”
It was a very simple, realistic answer.
“Yes?”
“We are not birds, so it is difficult for us to directly touch things far away in the sky.”
She raised her hands to the sky.
“There is also a way to slowly build it up like Mr. G-House did, but at least there is no guarantee that it will be waiting there as it is.”
Her hands fluttered. A little laugh came out.
“But we have hands. There is also a crossbow.”
“Some birds are made of white hands.”
“That’s a realistic answer, don’t laugh.”
“Yes.”
In one word, her words that made me a fool continued.
“The birds of the sky, the wizard’s sparks that twist the world. If you shoot it, it will fall and disappear. Hunting and sniping starts with being convinced that you can.”
Her eyes showed a will that hadn’t been made hastily, but rather seemed to have been forged for a long time.
“So the answer is simple. Just shoot it down.”
Tung, she let out a crossbow shot from her mouth.
My hand fell trembling.
Like a falling bird or a dragon.
“It’s about keeping my eyes on the prey.”
The prianian squad leader raised his hand as if clutching a crossbow.
Her eyes, seen between them, matched mine exactly.
Unfortunately.
“Then, Tung again.”
She cupped her hands as she pointed towards me.
“Then I will be able to reach you a little faster, I have no doubts. Mr. Ghouse?”
After speaking, the prianian squad leader robbed his seat and stood up.
“I guess I’ll have to go in now. I drank well.”
“Please enter carefully.”
“And.”
“Yes?”
She turned slightly and said.
“Don’t forget that there is still a chance to consult about your worries during the day. It was just a drinking party talk.”
“Is that so?”
“I know it didn’t help, to be honest, so let’s just pretend we were drunk.”
That seems to be common.
“Because we’re both drunk, aren’t we?”
“That’s right.”
Both heads nodded.
“In the end, as Mr. G-House said on the carriage the other day, everyone has their own way. This doesn’t relieve your worries.”
“But it makes me feel at ease. Isn’t it?”
She only had a slight smile on her lips.
“Anyway, if you have any concerns, tell me. I’ll listen as much as I can.”
Prianian’s squad leader left only those words and walked away without making a sound.
She didn’t look back and her steps didn’t falter at all.
As I was tidying up my seat, I felt that the rocks next to Gambison were a bit wet.
No, it was just a trace of spillage.
It’s like pouring something to make no sound.
There was almost no water in the empty glass the leader of the Priyanian squad drank.
***
The drinking party had already ended, and the floor was literally a field of corpses.
Thanks to the mercenaries for leaving us daily food for free today, and I’m about to go back to the warehouse with a plate while avoiding drunken corpses.
“Hey, were you here?”
Hwar’an appeared before me.
“Aren’t you asleep yet?”
“You don’t have to hide the plate.”
I put the plate forward again.
“You seem to be looking for me. What are you here for?”
He went right into business.
“You must know that the Territory War took place in the central region a few months ago.”
I nodded.
“It is open again. It’s something I just found out about.”
“We will go down too.”
Otherwise, I won’t be looking for people this early in the morning.
He nodded.
“You’ll have to prepare yourself. The entire mercenary company has been hired.”
It must be large.
“Perhaps you will get paid quite a bit once this job is over, assei.”
“Isn’t it all thanks to Hwaran?”
“Well, you pack it somehow. Anyway, departure is ten days later. That’s all you need to know.”
“I will.”
“Be careful.”
“Yes?”
“Because the scale of this Territory War seems a bit large.”
Hwaran’s face was so dark that he couldn’t see it.