Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 137

137

Harsh Winter, You Know?

“…That’s why I had to pass the warrior’s trial. For my father, who lost his arm, and my brother, who can no longer walk, I had to take responsibility for our family.”

“I see.

You said you’re only seventeen, Tias? You’ve been through a lot.”

“Ahaha.

It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that. It’s become my duty and way of life now, so no one really feels that way anymore.”

“Life is always a battle, but some have it tougher than others.”

“You don’t seem that old yourself, but it feels strange hearing you say that.”

“Right.

Ah, I’ve heard your story. Let’s get back to the point. Why were you dozing on duty?”

“Hup.”

Now that he’s heard everything, it’s time to tease him.

Of course, not too much, just enough to make each other laugh.

“I was talking to a warrior named Jalan earlier. I told him to let me know if he sees any warriors not fulfilling their duties.”

“Heok!

Re, really?”

‘Do you think so?’

Of course, it’s a lie.

Of course, Tias, who had no way of knowing this, clung to Sion and pleaded, opening his mouth.

“Please, please don’t tell Jalan-nim [respected title] that I was dozing on duty. I’ll have to clean up horse dung all day!”

“Then you shouldn’t have dozed off.”

“Ugh!

I was just too tired!

I don’t know if you know, sir, but…”

“What are you talking about?

I helped you guys clear snow and set up tents earlier, didn’t I?

Do you think I’m not tired?

How could I not know that you warriors are tired?”

“Ah, ah… Ye, yes, you did.”

If a man who only ate and rested suddenly barged in and shouted, ‘Hey, this guy was dozing off? I’m going to report him right away!’ they would have shown hostility.

Even though the northern barbarian tribes are quite closed off to outsiders, it would have been like forgetting his place as a guest and acting recklessly.

But Sion was different from such a terrible guest from the start.

When everyone was struggling to set up tents due to the heavy snow, he voluntarily stepped up to help the warriors without being asked.

Of course, he mixed in some colorful curses that made people wonder, but listening to his advice made them think, ‘Ah, we’ve been doing things too carelessly.’

Working together like that created a strange sense of camaraderie, even though he wasn’t a warrior, wasn’t from the same tribe, and wasn’t even a northerner but a kingdom citizen.

And that camaraderie was working in a positive direction, even in the midst of this scolding.

“Are you really going to tell Jalan-nim?”

“Jalan asked me to, you know.

Tias, your story is so tearful that I’ll let it slide.”

“Really?

Thank you!”

“Quiet.

You’ll wake everyone up.”

Sion lightly tapped Tias on the back of the head and aligned his sights on the next target.

It was a warrior who looked to be in his mid-30s, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation from the beginning.

“Tias, I have something to ask.

Is there a part in the warriors’ etiquette that says it’s okay to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations?”

“No?

As far as I know, there isn’t.

In the first place, our northern warriors don’t do such cowardly things.

Honorable warriors, that is!”

“…Is that so.”

‘Why is it that those who talk about honor and such use any means necessary when they enter battle, so much so that they are called ‘mounted bandits’ by the northern nobles of the kingdom?’

Sion scratched his cheek and thought so, but in another way, it was a reasonable thing to do.

Other times, it might be different, but in war, attacking the enemy’s side or rear was perfectly normal.

“Hey, you over there, the warrior who’s trying not to look this way but is listening intently?”

“…”

“Does pretending not to hear make what you’ve been eavesdropping on disappear?

Hmm.

The kingdom says that the northern warriors uphold their honor at all times, but seeing this, it’s just a lie…”

“Ahem!

I, I wasn’t eavesdropping.

I was just standing guard, so I naturally heard it!”

‘Yes, yes.

Everyone would say that.’

Anyway, Jalan and his warriors were so focused on fighting that they seemed to lack in other areas.

Of course, it was inevitable since there was no place for political strife unlike in the kingdom.

‘Originally, you’re not supposed to talk while on guard duty, but keeping your mouth shut and standing there for an hour or two is just as boring, tedious, and maddening.’

Sion was still standing next to Tias, deliberately not looking at the warrior as he continued to speak.

“You probably know my introduction from listening to Tias and me earlier.”

“…I was wondering what kind of man Temujin [Jalan’s last name] would accept as a guest, but now I’m starting to understand. The tribal chiefs say that the kingdom’s nobles are all trash that you can’t associate with, but seeing you, I guess that’s not the case.”

“Hey, even if that’s partly true, I’m still a kingdom citizen.

Don’t badmouth the kingdom in front of a kingdom citizen.”

“…I apologize if I was rude.”

This reaction was also due to the groundwork Sion had laid.

Although they had only met today, they had unknowingly built a sense of camaraderie by working together on those difficult tasks.

At the same time, he was a guest of Jalan Temujin, a woman whom the warriors feared and respected the most, so they couldn’t treat him carelessly.

‘Normally, they should have shown a cold reaction, saying, “So what?”

But it’s definitely hard to get angry at someone you’ve suffered with, no matter where you go.’

In addition, in a closed-off place like the north, there was even the etiquette of treating someone who had given ‘help’ accordingly, which made it even better.

“Um, but sir.”

“I said it’s Sion, Tias.”

“Ah, yes.

Sion.

Why did you suddenly come out at this early hour?

If it were a night watch, I wouldn’t be surprised, but suddenly coming out at dawn…”

“I told you.

I asked you to catch anyone who was neglecting their guard duty, so I targeted the time when people are weakest, which is dawn.

And you were caught, Tias.”

“Really?”

“Do you believe that?”

At Sion’s rebuke, Tias asked again with a questioning look, ‘Then why did you wake up?’

“I just came out because I couldn’t sleep.”

“Is your bed uncomfortable?”

“It would be a lie if I said it wasn’t.

I can’t help being born a noble.

But it’s not to the point where I can’t sleep.

I just couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about this and that.”

“Come to think of it, I heard the warriors talking about you.

They said you’re a war hero, is that true?”

‘Yes, I was wondering why they didn’t ask about that.’

For barbarian warriors, what’s more important than anything is battlefield merit and proof of fighting gloriously, so they must have been very curious about the title of ‘war hero’ attached to Sion.

“I made contributions when fighting a neighboring country.

Ah, did I not tell Tias properly?”

“Are you saying that Sion directly jumped into the battlefield?”

“Surely not.

He said he was a great noble of the kingdom, so it would be a great loss if he were caught.”

“Unfortunately for you, I actually fought on the front lines back then.

Not only that, but I also carried a fallen soldier on my back and ran to get him out.”

At Sion’s confident answer, Tias and the other warrior made expressions as if to say, ‘No way!’

Certainly, from their point of view, Sion had the appearance of someone who had never suffered at all.

A handsome face, arms and legs that looked like they would break if you put any force on them, and smooth skin with almost no scars.

It was no wonder that the question, ‘How did he go to the battlefield with that body?’ filled their heads.

“What’s with those expressions?

You’re reacting like you can’t believe it.”

“…Honestly, isn’t that the case?

Even in the northern territories of the kingdom that we occasionally clash with, most of the soldiers and knights are at the forefront, while the nobles are in charge of commanding.”

“Can’t nobles be field commanders?

Although I couldn’t stand at the front and cut down enemies, I did clash with them alongside the soldiers.”

Saying that, Sion mimicked clearing snow and then setting up a tent as he continued to speak.

“Was the way I showed you earlier an act?

Didn’t you think I had a lot in common with you, rather than just sitting in the back and twiddling my thumbs?”

“You certainly couldn’t say he was just someone who ordered people around.”

“…That’s true.”

Tias and the warrior looked at each other and nodded.

Even for themselves, who were warriors, clearing snow, tamping down the ground, checking the terrain, raising pillars, and setting up tents were never enjoyable or welcome tasks.

So the way Sion had looked earlier was too familiar to be called an act.

“And you know what?

I once played an instrument and sent all the enemies who were chasing us running.”

“Come on, no way!”

“That doesn’t seem true.”

“It’s true, you guys.”

There’s nothing special about how men get closer.

You talk about the hardships you’ve experienced in life to form a sense of camaraderie, tell stories that seem like tall tales but also seem real to spark interest, and then laugh together.

If you even have the title of ‘someone who has suffered together,’ you can’t help but hear the words, ‘Let’s meet up for a drink later!’

“…Ugh.

What’s all the noise?”

A warrior came out of a tent, groaning.

It seemed that his ears were sensitive at night, as he had woken up listening to Sion and the two warriors’ conversation.

Tias stepped forward to apologize and told him to go back to sleep, but he seemed to be quite interested in their conversation.

“Hey, you’re the guest?”

“Sion Clauser.”

“I’m Yoon.

The guy who was clearing snow next to you earlier.”

“Ah, the warrior who got stabbed in the stomach and fell over?”

“Ahem!”

Yoon coughed at Sion’s merciless fact bomb, and Tias and the warrior giggled, imitating Yoon’s appearance of being stabbed in the stomach by a snow shovel and groaning while clearing snow earlier.

“Hey, shit.

I showed a shameful side.”

“Ahaha!

Yoon-ajusshi [term for older man] did fall down a bit pathetically.”

“Shut up, you.

It felt like getting hit by my wife without sending a single lie.”

“Did you get hit again?

No, before that.

Last time, you said you were going to have a passionate time with your wife when you got home.”

“She immediately refused, saying, ‘Why are you trying to use your energy in strange places when you don’t even earn any money?'”

Tias and the warrior’s laughter grew louder at Yoon’s grumbling.

At that, Yoon opened his mouth as if he couldn’t be the only one suffering.

“What about you two?

Tias is a new warrior, so that’s that, but Heosle.

You married a woman from our tribe, are you still alive?”

“Ahem!

What do you mean?”

“She’s the daughter of a younger sibling I know, and she hated your tribe quite a bit.

She always said that to her daughter, so her daughter would have growled at your tribe.”

“It was like that for a few days.

But our tribal warriors don’t give in that easily.

All you have to do is melt a woman’s heart, right?

Like this, ha!

And then…”

Then, the warrior Heosle showed a passionate hip movement.

It was as if he was going to show a passionate affair if there was a woman in front of him, and Yoon made a dumbfounded expression, while Tias was holding his stomach and laughing.

“Compared to that, Yoon, are you too old to use your waist properly?

I think you’d be lucky if you weren’t eaten by a woman?”

“Kuhah!

Yoon-ajusshi.

Is that really not the case?”

“You guys are both being ridiculous?

What do you think of me?

I, you guys!

I was once a man who melted all the women in the village with just my waist, you guys!”

“Ah, is that so?

So what about now?

Now is what’s important.”

Heosle was teasing Yoon while cackling.

Tias also held his stomach and laughed, but then he noticed Sion sitting next to him and carefully opened his mouth, stopping his laughter.

“Um, Sion.

Don’t think too strangely.

This is…”

“Now that we’re talking about women, I can’t be left out.

You must have forgotten, but I’m a great noble of the kingdom.

You can’t even imagine how many women are clinging to me, can you?”

When men gather, these kinds of dirty jokes are bound to come up.

If these kinds of conversations happen on a regular basis, you could say that there is sexual dissatisfaction or mental problems, but if every day is a war and a struggle to survive, then these kinds of conversations become natural.

You could say it’s almost the only way to escape from a difficult, painful, and tedious daily life.

‘I knew these kinds of stories would come up, so I told Rishi to just stay inside the tent.

It’s quite uncomfortable for Rishi, and the warriors wouldn’t say these kinds of things in front of a woman.

If Rishi is next to me, the atmosphere will only become ambiguous.’

Rishi was worried about the escort issue, but Sion reassured her and came outside.

To be exact, he came out after throwing out the bait, ‘If you wait quietly, we’ll sleep together in one sleeping bag.’

‘I even had a collection of dirty stories 1, 2, and 3 that I gathered because of the senior soldiers who told me to tell some dirty stories.’

Come to think of it, I wonder how that damn senior soldier who liked younger women is doing.

I wonder if that guy got dragged away by the police and got a red line on his record.

“Hoo, listen to that, Sion.

Now that you say that, I’m suddenly curious.”

“Me too.