Future Knight [EN]: Chapter 77

Though he said that, the way he leered at Elrika and Zikyon made it clear he intended to whisk them away to some strange place, like a reception area for the headquarters.

After a moment of contemplation, Kang Chan spoke to Zikyon and Elrika.

“Then only Loki and I will enlist.”

“Huh? What about us?”

“You can just storm the base with Elrika later.”

“I guess that would work.”

It was a simple thought that only Zikyon and Kang Chan, who didn’t have to worry about anyone’s opinion, could come up with. Moreover, Zikyon was even more in favor of Kang Chan’s idea since she wouldn’t have to become a conscript.

As Kang Chan and Loki decided to enlist, the interviewer looked very disappointed. He placed a parchment in front of them and asked,

“Are you two really thinking of enlisting?”

“Yes.”

“Just saying this as someone older…”

The interviewer leaned in close to Kang Chan and Loki, whispering in a low voice.

“Just remember, this isn’t a place you want to volunteer for.”

The interviewer winked at Kang Chan and handed over the parchment documents.

It was like a soldier’s personal record.

“Alright, if you’ve decided, sign here. Keep in mind that from the moment you sign, you become proud conscripted soldiers of our Continental Allied Forces.”

That meant there was no turning back.

“Sign? What’s a signature?”

Loki, who had never signed anything before, asked Kang Chan.

“Just scribble something.”

“Got it.”

Loki’s signature, a rough scribble, looked like three earthworms messily intertwined.

Without hesitation, they both signed the parchment, and that day, Kang Chan and Loki became conscripted soldiers of the Continental Allied Forces.

“Hasse!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Assign these two here.”

A soldier named Hasse took the documents the interviewer handed him and was shocked.

“H-here, sir?”

“They want to go, what can I do? I have to let them… Ahem! Next!”

As the interviewer called out, a gaunt refugee stepped forward, and Kang Chan’s group naturally moved aside, following the soldier named Hasse.

The soldier named Hasse seemed unable to keep his composure due to Zikyon and Elrika’s dazzling beauty, and he said in a trembling voice.

“O-only enlistees are allowed beyond this point.”

That was the place where combat equipment was distributed.

“Then see you later.”

“Yeah, go ahead and suffer first; we’ll come find you after we’ve had some fun.”

“Alright.”

The soldier Hasse couldn’t understand Zikyon’s words at all. These men were going to the front lines where enemies were swarming; how could a woman dare to find them?

‘Does that woman not know where they’re going? Hmm, maybe it’s better if she doesn’t know…’

While the soldier was lost in thought, Zikyon took Elrika and disappeared, and the soldier distributed equipment to the new recruits.

“Hmm, conscript uniforms and… leather armor… here it is. Take it!”

The soldier took out uniforms that were no better than rags and some very flimsy-looking leather armor and handed them to the two.

It was clear that everything was not new, with dried bloodstains everywhere.

It seemed to have changed owners several times.

Kang Chan frowned, running his fingers over the large knife marks on the heart and solar plexus areas of the leather armor.

At least Kang Chan’s armor was in decent condition.

Loki’s armor had a large axe mark on the back.

It felt like you would lose your life just by wearing it.

In Kang Chan’s opinion, the leather armor the soldier had handed out was not wearable at all.

Then, his eyes caught sight of clean armor in the distance.

Unlike his shabby leather armor, it was very sturdy and clean, with a stylish Visman Empire emblem engraved on the chest.

“Excuse me, but could I exchange it for that armor?”

The soldier looked at the armor Kang Chan was pointing at and suddenly became furious.

“How dare a conscript try to wear the Visman Empire’s regular soldier armor? Do you think this is your living room? Huh?”

The soldier’s attitude was the complete opposite of when Zikyon and Elrika were present.

Kang Chan was momentarily taken aback by his discriminatory treatment. But as someone from a hierarchical society, he understood the soldier’s actions and acted calmly.

If there was a fault, it was clearly his own.

He had chosen to enlist as a conscript of his own accord.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“You’re not a civilian anymore! You’re a soldier! So just wear what I give you! Understand?”

“Yes, sir!”

Loki looked puzzled at Kang Chan, who was being so submissive to someone who didn’t even seem to be a match for him.

Loki, who didn’t understand human hierarchical society, couldn’t comprehend their pecking order at all.

Well, he would learn in time.

“Take it.”

This time, the soldier handed over a helmet.

But it was more like a crude leather cap than a helmet. On top of that, a foul smell of sweat stung his nose.

And finally, the soldier handed over a longsword with missing teeth and a crude hammer.

The longsword looked lonely and forlorn, as if it didn’t even have a scabbard, and the hammer had someone’s hair stuck in the joints.

Kang Chan was momentarily speechless as he looked at it.

“…”

“Well, which one will you use?”

“The weapons are fine. I have my own.”

Kang Chan pointed to the two daggers he was wearing. The soldier looked at Kang Chan’s short daggers and said dismissively.

“You’d live longer using this rather than those daggers…”

Hasse recommended the hammer to Kang Chan.

“I’ll stick with the daggers.”

“Really? Those must be pretty good daggers, huh?”

Hasse’s eyes, looking down at Kang Chan’s daggers, were momentarily filled with greed.

They looked quite luxurious at a glance.

In this place, taking things from new recruits was easier than taking money from a child.

However, the moment his eyes met Kang Chan’s, he felt a murderous aura that made him feel like he was being slashed all over.

“H-heck!”

“…”

Kang Chan noticed the greed in the soldier’s eyes as he looked at his daggers and unleashed his murderous aura on him.

Then, the soldier trembled like a mouse in front of a cat.

“W-well… if that’s what you want… I-I can’t force you. You, in the back?”

The soldier, who had returned to his gentle self from being a fiery superior, asked kindly, and Loki looked very troubled.

If he turned back into an ogre, the longsword the soldier had handed him would be nothing more than a toothpick, so he wasn’t very keen on it.

Still, he had to choose one of the two, so Loki eventually chose the hammer.

He would throw it away once the battle started anyway, so he chose the small hammer over the cumbersome longsword.

But Loki seemed to struggle just to hold the hammer, and Hasse couldn’t help but sigh.

‘Can he even swing that properly with those skinny arms?’

Looking at Hasse, who was looking at Loki with a pathetic expression, Kang Chan wondered if he would still be able to make that expression if he saw Loki’s true form.

After that, Kang Chan received a few crude supplies, put them in a sack, and put on the leather armor and leather helmet he had been given.

Then, as soon as Loki put on the armor, he rubbed his shoulder with a strange expression.

“What’s wrong? Is it too big?”

“No, something’s weird.”

“What is it?”

“It feels like something’s pressing down on my shoulders.”

“…”

Kang Chan felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the large axe mark on Loki’s back. But he forced an awkward smile and comforted Loki.

“Ahahaha… it’s probably just because the armor is heavy.”

“I don’t think so. I definitely feel something on my shoulders…”

“Alright! Alright! Let’s go without worrying about it.”

Kang Chan deliberately hurried towards the parade ground, thinking.

‘A ghost possessing an ogre; that’s one bold ghost.’

There were already many conscripts lined up on the parade ground.

They all looked shabby, and most of them were forcibly conscripted serfs.

Kang Chan and Loki were the only ones who had volunteered to become conscripts.

“Then I wish you all good luck! Depart!”

After an extremely short speech, the conscripts began to march weakly towards the front lines.

Being forced to go to the battlefield, they naturally felt dejected, thinking that they were just going to die.

In the midst of all this, only Loki was excited, constantly looking around and asking Kang Chan questions.

“Hey, why were you so servile to that guy earlier? He didn’t even look like he could handle a punch?”

“Because he’s my senior.”

“Senior?”

“Don’t you know about hierarchical societies?”

“Hierarchical society?”

Loki looked completely clueless.

“You can’t not know about hierarchical societies when you’re a soldier. A hierarchical society is…”

Kang Chan explained hierarchical societies to Loki as he walked without stopping.

Loki was finally able to understand Kang Chan’s actions thanks to Kang Chan’s kind explanation.

“So that’s what a military hierarchical society is like?”

“Yeah.”

“What a strange place. Even if someone is weaker than me, they’re a senior just because they joined earlier.”

“Well, you can just earn merits and raise your rank.”

Loki thought that the military was a much simpler place than he had thought.

“Really? But if those higher-ups find out about your true strength, would they want to keep you here?”

Loki knew very well that he wouldn’t have to be treated like this if they knew his true strength. But Kang Chan didn’t seem to care at all and said.

“We’ll see about that when the time comes. More importantly, is your shoulder okay now?”

“Oh, it suddenly felt better from the start. Now I’m just hungry…”

‘So even a ghost-possessed armor is no match for an ogre…’

Kang Chan thought that the ghost had probably recognized that Loki was an ogre and had run away in a panic.

Grumble!

“Hmm, I’m starting to get hungry too?”

Kang Chan, feeling hungry after Loki said he was hungry, took something out of his pocket and handed it to Loki.

It was that pill that had changed the diet of the aliens.

“Eat this.”

Loki scoffed at Kang Chan, who was offering him something the size of a bean.

“That’s not nearly enough.”

“Just try it. Don’t chew it; just swallow it.”

Loki thought the pill Kang Chan offered was strange, but he put it in his mouth and swallowed it.

And a moment later.

“Heck! I’m full!”

All the conscripts’ eyes were focused on Loki, who shouted without realizing it.

They looked at Loki with pity.

“Tsk tsk, how did such a young one get dragged into this living hell.”

“He’s already lost his mind.”

“Tsk tsk tsk.”

“…”

Loki had become a crazy kid in an instant.

After Kang Chan and Loki, who had filled their stomachs with the pill, marched for another half a day, they were soon able to reach a battlefield reeking of rotting corpses.

The surroundings were full of corpses, and all of them were swarming with bugs.