The cavalry now arrived at its destination, a place where majority of the infantry had already left the fortress. The number of soldiers out supporting the returning cavalry was substantial, so there was not a lot of soldiers left to welcome the Riders triumphant return in victory.
"For the time being, there will be no training or dispatch orders. Until there are further information, I permit you to rest autonomously. However, if there is anyone who's doing something stupid, know that I'm going to make you run laps."
Captain Frederik who was about to disperse the squad spoke once more.
"You've worked hard, all of you. You fought well, and survived."
The comforting warm words, not normally spoken by the Captain, was probably due to sorrow of losing many cavalrymen who could not return.
In order to confirm the precise facts and casualties, Clarke followed behind the Captain and led the Strangers to their assigned rooms. The rest of the Riders began to put their horses in the stables, and immediately fell onto their beds the moment they arrived within the barracks.
After the tension had settled while relaxing, the severe fatigue from the battle overcame them all at once. Sunhyuk also threw his body in his bed as he fell into a deep sleep.
One day later.
Despite his strong physical strength, it was not enough to make up for the mental fatigue, as it took him a whole day of sleeping to barely allow him to wake up. Then, he was sitting absentmindedly for a long time on his bed.
He did not want to do anything.
After returning from that fierce battlefield and resuming his daily life, he felt as if he was floating. It felt unrealistic seeing the soldiers who had returned to this peaceful fortress start to casually converse amongst one another, and joke as if they had came back from a regular training regimen.
There were so many empty beds here as well…
It appears to be so at first glance, but when he stared into towards the smiling guys, he saw that they were mourning and grieving in their own way.
Sunhyuk struggled to settle down his mind before joining them.
"So, what are you going to do?"
After they had conversed for a bit, Jonathan asked unexpectedly. The sentence was cut off, but it was not difficult for him to understand the meaning of the query.
"I'm not sure. I only thought about having war achievements and discharging, but in fact, I have not planned what to do afterwards."
At the time, he did not think much of his future plans because of trying to survive. As such, when the time for him to discharge had arrived, he did not know what to do at all.
"The reward should be bountiful, so are you going to set up a shop or something?"
"When he doesn't even desire riches, how do you think he'll open a shop and do business? It'd be a relief if he wasn't scammed."
That remark was indeed logical, as Sunhyuk did not really desire the riches of his own world, so he was aware better than anyone else of how ignorant he was of this world.
"I just want to live while spending my money."
In the end, he slowly thought how pathetic that answer was.
"Well, it's a bit much to come out and say this now but do you really have to discharge? I'm not sure how the world you lived in is, but it's not easy living by yourself in this world. The life of a normal citizen is much more appalling than you think."
"Money is power, and the wealthy are nobles, but you're neither of those. Once you settle your debt with the Royal Family, how much do you think you will have left in your pockets? It wouldn't be bad to live the rest of your life as a soldier, than living life of a normal person."
Hansen and Jonathan were both concerned and attempted to withhold him back from discharging, because this world was too harsh for Strangers to live alone.
"You can start anew without debt right? Don't rely on the royal funding and become a real soldier."
These guys were the first to ties become close with, after he had suddenly been summoned to this world. There was no reason how he would not be shaken by those words, so instead of replying firmly, he just smiled ambiguously.
"Mm. Well. Consider it carefully since we have some time left."
Even with the telegram spell from the Magician regarding the results, and achievements in the battlefield, it would take at least a couple of days before it arrived to the Royal Family. Moreover, it would take even more time to organize the rewards and relay this back to the border. No matter how quick it was, there was about one month left for him to decide.
"I guess so."
While they were sharing their conversation, Clarke opened the barracks door.
"Good news. The Captain has permitted an outing."
After his speech, the burly men suddenly raised their bodies, as if their most recent conversation topic vanished from their minds.
"Let's go!"
Suddenly, the cavalrymen all finished preparing and rushed out of the barracks. Simultaneously, Riders from the opposite side of the barracks also began to pour out.
"Let's go to the land flowing with milk and honey!"
"Let's drink and eat until we die!"
The horsemen all rushed towards the stables as they cheered in exclamation. Sunhyuk was also dragged over by Hansen.
"You bastards! Soon, there will be an official holiday so don't waste your stamina already!"
Though Clarke tried to calm them down, even he began to run after his blind comrades.
There were a few villages near the army post. Nobody knew whether the villages were created before or after the army post had been completed. However, the villagers knew better than anyone that the soldiers of the Fortress were the main source of income. As a result, all of the villagers trade and services tailored to the needs of the soldiers.
"Incredible."
There were pubs, brothels and even inns. Sunhyuk was surprised at the overly fond atmosphere within the village depicted towards them. It wasn't like, there was no such mood or atmosphere in areas back in his other world, but it wasn't as blatant as this place here.
"How is it? Like it?"
"Do you even have to ask?! This is paradise!"
He nodded from Jonathan's reply, and Hansen exclaimed as his voice emanated out from his missing front teeth.
"Everyone scatter to your heart’s desires! We will meet up at the 'Inn where milk and honey flows' at night!"
Seeing that they were heading to the place where milk and honey flowed, it didn't seem like a normal place. The name was overly suspicious as Sunhyuk laughed from its title.
"We'll eat first. You'll probably drool the moment you set your eyes on the food here."
As such, some calvarymen headed for a restaurant. They ordered an enormous amount of food once they arrived, and ate all of it in an instant.
"Ah. So full. Due to all of the recent events, I felt empty, but this really made up for it."
"Then, should we properly start?"
After stuffing themselves with that much food, Sunhyuk was shocked at that remark, but thankfully it was different from what he had thought as he sighed.
"The alcohol's going down! Woo!"
Over half of a few bottles of alcohol had already been poured onto glasses, as the men were putting on a show, with mischievous smiles on all their faces.
"This bastard, look at how empty his glass is."
"I drank three more glasses than you."
"The two of you can't even drink alcohol properly. All of you kneel before the king."
At some point, all of the other men joined in as they joked, laughed and swore in the lushes of alcohol mixed in with appetizers. There were no shades of that horrible battlefield to found anywhere within this atmosphere.
It was so natural and brisk that even Sunhyuk had soon intervened in that moment.
"Now! Drink! Drink!"
After a few glasses, his cheeks became flushed red, as he held his cup and yelled intoxicated. At that moment, a silence overwhelmed the bar.
"Which bastard gave him alcohol!"
"Take his cup away!"
The faces of the men turned pale as they reminisced the previous time this had happened.
"Ugh. So frustrating!"
Fortunately, Sunhyuk's drunken behavior was short-lived due to the small intake. The surprised cavalrymen quickly took away his glass and didn’t even try to return it to him. With a frustrated look, he looked at the liquor and food in front of him before rising from his seat.
"Where are you going!"
"Washroom!"
The men giggled and laughed seeing him so worked up from that one question.
The gathering lasted through the night as Sunhyuk was completely sober from a few glasses he had, as he escaped to his room after stepping away. The cavalrymen did not necessarily try to stop him from leaving, so he was even more distraught.
They're treating him like a total child.
Unable to appeal to the sins he had committed, he threw his body on the bed. Just when he was about to fall asleep, someone opened the door.
Turning his head, he was frightened when he saw a woman looking at him. She laughed saying that the men from below had sent her, but Sunhyuk was too flabbergasted.
'I mean, come on really?'
Not only did they ban him to drinking alcohol and treat him like a child, but now they had sent a girl to him as well. Sighing from the attitude of his comrades, he politely sent the girl back.
"Are you sure you won't regret it? I'm the ace of this shop?"
The woman spruced up full of makeup, while she stared at him with both eyes. Inspecting her closely, she looked to be the age of his aunt and when she tried to smile seductively, it gave him more of a frightening feeling.
"I won't regret it. Please go away."
There's a saying somewhere, interpreting – how there is no man who dislikes an aggressive woman, but that wasn't him. Asides from her appearance, it was too intense for him who was accustomed to cleanliness of his other world to endure this kind of situation.
"I can really do well…"
"Ah, please! Go away!"
"This bastard! He doesn't know how precious money is."
"This impotent bastard. He's even worse than Hansen."
After that boisterous outing, Sunhyuk was scolded and punished by his comrades; along the way back. All of this was due to the fact that his seniors had pooled all of their money, and hired a woman in consideration of him, but he had denied her.
"Ah, seriously. Then you should've let Hansen have her!"
At this moment, the cavalrymen stopped talking, and soon burst out in anger.
"Your words are too harsh."
"Immediately apologize to Hansen."
After shouting towards Hansen who was leading the pack in scolding him, eventually, it was him who now received the onslaught from his comrades. Realizing how they had naturally caused him to feel guilty after calling him impotent, he could certainly see the perfect teamwork from the cavalrymen executed as one unit.
"Hey. Why are you thinking so much when you can die on any day? Just enjoy it while you can, do what you want, hold some pretty girls, and live on. That's how everyone does it."
Though his words were reasonably correct, Sunhyuk still felt it was unfair. He both had his own preferences and standards, but the woman which he saw last night did not fit in either of those categories.
After saying how he had kicked away a pretty woman, realizing this fact, goosebumps ran down his spine.
The standards of these guys were far too low for women.
Sunhyuk couldn't help but sigh as he remembered the aunt-looking woman from yesterday, and imagining how his comrades had drooled over her.
"Our company too, earned the number one rank in achievements for these hostilities."
Frederik's words didn't surprise anyone as they had completely demolished the infamous Sastane Cavalry, with no one being remotely close to them in terms of achievements afterwards.
"Above all, it was determined form above that you gained the greatest achievements."
As expected, the stubborn Commander seemed to have reported his accomplishments as it was. Already expecting this, he replied with a firm voice.
"The reward should be quite big."
"Big? It seems that you don't understand how impressive of a job you've accomplished, it's truly unrealistic to believe."
Frederik shook his head, and sighed from the lack of desire or simplicity displayed by Sunhyuk from this result.
"Orders coming in require you to travel towards the Fortress, as the rewards for you will be the greatest ever in the Kingdom's history."
"Oh! Then the compensation will be?"
Asides from everything else, it was a welcoming matter for him to receive a lot of money to independently support himself. Finally showing some interest, Frederik continued saying how money wasn't important.
"To briefly summarize, you have been awarded a title of nobility. In addition, your Basic Rank has now been readjusted."
TL Afterword: Ooh, I just want to see what kind of nobility rank the MC got! Also, when is the Dragon speaking to him again! I wish she/he would give him a quest or something!
ED: LOL! That's relaxing? Where's the massage parlour, spa pools, weapons…
Translator: Calvis
Editor: Sai101