EP.156 Cinderella in the military
I strode down the street. It was only a little off the main road, but a dark and complicated street appeared as if the early evening had arrived.
A toy-like building made by pouring concrete and pouring more, with windows all over the place. From time to time, a grumpy face was revealed through the window, but as soon as our eyes met, it quickly disappeared.
A line that I don’t know if it’s a clothesline or something runs between buildings like a spider’s web. It’s like a shoe before pulling the laces. It seemed that if someone pulled that rope to both sides, the weak building would lean and tighten.
Shouts can be heard from some houses. The cry of a person annoyed by the noise is followed by another person responding to the sound. It’s like an echo that doesn’t fade as it climbs the wall and grows gradually. and then.
pierce-.
Everyone shuddered in fright when someone rang the alarm clock.
The wake bell silenced all other sounds.
ah nice to meet you this fuss.
The noises and screams from my mind-reader felt louder than that.
Coming to a place with a lot of people, it feels a bit real.
“This is District 15. It is a land abandoned by a military state with only administrative districts and no other facilities.”
in the middle of the fuss. The captain and I were walking calmly. Seeing the stranger’s appearance, people glanced this way, saw the captain’s uniform, and ran away or hid themselves.
He said to the captain, who flinched slightly.
“Captain Pip. What should I do with the uniform? Everyone is either afraid or… hates it just by looking at the clothes.”
“…fear and hatred are not illegal.”
“haha. It could be, but wouldn’t it be better to reduce unnecessary friction?”
I made my way through the crowd and entered what could be called a busy street in District 15.
Numerous people were trying to exchange for items with jagged coins and fragmented alchemy coins.
It was not originally a commercial building. It was a market street that was naturally created as a result of the collapse of the outer wall on the first floor and people starting to do business on the exposed wall.
A little dark alley there too. I led the captain there. The captain followed me without a single doubt.
what. Isn’t that too innocent?
“But shouldn’t you be a little careful? Is it okay to recklessly follow alleys like this?”
The captain asked curiously.
“The main building is the captain of the army. Could there be a criminal who would risk an immediate punishment and attack the captain of the military?”
It sounds terrifying to say that it is an immediate decision.
It’s true when you’re a captain, but that’s it.
“Nothing usually. But be careful.”
I smiled and grabbed the wrist of a child who just happened to pass by me and walked over.
Udangtang. The kid fell down funny. I whispered as I bent the arms of the child who was about to wake up with a whistle.
“Little boy.”
“Ah! let go!”
“Your brain is worse than your habit. Aren’t you taught not to touch people in uniform? If you learn it, you can’t even touch the person next to you. you idiot?”
“What am I! I didn’t do anything!”
A child who continues to use evil without acknowledging it. People are flocking to see this side.
what I know how to draw attention I smiled and said to the child.
“You didn’t learn. Then you are not on the ‘shelter’ side. It’s not a ‘family’ because they don’t have ears. aha. Is it a market?”
“Oh no!”
“Did the Clean manager teach you that? I should give you a warning.”
As soon as the name of the leader of his own organization was mentioned, the child’s face was stained with fear. The cunning child changed his attitude and fell to his knees.
“Sorry. I’m hungry. Please forgive me.”
‘Chit! You were acquainted with the manager! It’s a big deal. You have to pray until your palms wear out! Still, I’m a child, so if I do my best, they’ll look after me!’
No matter how military it is, the child is not punished. They are just taken to an orphanage.
Are all children who do wrong are orphans? It seems that the military’s view of education is clearly revealed. Still, it’s better than a laborer.
“I’ll give it back too. Here…”
The child politely held out what he had stolen from me. However, he was shocked to see the identity of the object in his hand.
Voila, this is it.
“Give me back what? Crumpled handkerchief? You bastard, where are you hiding my wallet and I’m going to move on with this!”
“uh?”
The child looked at me and the crumpled handkerchief under his hand, puzzled.
“It was my wallet…”
“Are you cheating? I saw you taking my wallet out of my pocket a moment ago!”
I immediately grabbed the child by the collar, and the child turned into a frightened face.
“Can’t you give it right away?”
“It’s real!”
“Where is the noise? I can’t. I will take you like this and storm into the market headquarters. I’ll have to put your face in front of Krynn and argue. Oh, I should also take the soldier next to me. That way, Krynn will feel a sense of crisis.”
“Please! That’s it!”
“Kyahaha. Where! Get scolded! A kid like you just deserves to be beaten!”
The captain standing behind me smiling wickedly tapped my shoulder. When I turned my head, the captain pointed to my pocket and said,
“…You. What is in your pocket right now?”
“This one? It’s my wallet.”
“Why is it there?”
an obvious question.
“It’s my wallet, so it’s in my pocket. Then where are you?”
“Didn’t you say you saw him taking it out of your pocket?”
“It’s a lie, of course, to get this kid into trouble. Do you think I’m going to be pickpocketed by a hand with a nose on it?”
Realizing that he had been victimized, the little boy spat and shook my hand.
“Chit! Lucky for you!”
where did you learn Do you really want to go and ask?
The little boy suddenly started running down the street. I immediately called out.
“oh! The pickpocket runs away! Captain What are you doing? Catch it quickly!”
“…denial. The main building is not only the military police. In fact, it is difficult to convict the boy because he did not steal anything.”
“Eh. It was an opportunity to fix that little boy’s quirks.”
It was after the crowd of people disappeared at some point. When the child runs away, he deliberately avoids his gaze. Even so, it seems that he was afraid of being photographed by the captain.
I grumbled and tossed the purse I had pulled out of the child’s pocket and caught it. The captain, who was about to walk, suddenly stopped and asked again.
“…what is that?”
“That bastard’s wallet.”
“Why is it in your hand?”
“Because you were pickpocketed?”
How dare you pickpocket in front of me. There’s no way. As a pickpocket senior, I need to give him a harsh lesson.
“No matter how you think about it, you look the most dangerous on this street.”
“yes? what do you say I am harmless. Like a nonpoisonous snake!”
The kid’s wallet was empty. Well, wallet packets are quite popular these days, so no one can get pickpocketed.
Still, I’ll take it as my booty. I gave advice as I stuffed the little guy’s wallet into my pocket.
“Look anyway. You just saw the captain in uniform and he was aiming for my wallet, right? This is where crime often happens.”
“Pickpocketing is a crime, but the penalty is not very high. You can compensate 50 times the amount of the loss or pay it back through hard labor.”
“that’s right. It’s a misdemeanor. But here, misdemeanors like that happen routinely. Especially because it is light.”
This is an area ruled by a strange logic of security.
It is impossible for a pleasure killer to roam the streets, killing people to their heart’s content, no matter how half-abandoned and where people die. If something went wrong, the military police would come and arrest all of them and put them into labor.
let’s not forget This is a military country.
A dark entity ruling the back alleys? Could something like that exist? If an entity of that size enters the military’s borders, the general overturns the area.
What if a being stronger than the general appears? Then the army, including Yukjangseong, will make a mess. I haven’t had that yet, but I mean.
A land where the strong and the weak are clearly divided. Behind the scenes rulers cannot be born here. I don’t know if I’m on the dark side of the country. Such a dirty back alley… A wildness where the weak rise to their own feet.
“This is petty criminals’ paradise. All sorts of extraordinary things will happen. Plus… if you’re wearing a captain’s uniform, you could be a target for some real dangerous guys hidden among petty criminals. therefore.”
Turn the corner and you’ll see a set of stairs leading straight down. I guided the captain there. The captain walked down the dark stairs.
I said as I opened the antique door at the end of the stairs leading to the basement.
“Let’s change clothes.”
As I entered the door, a warm, cozy smell greeted me. The scent of black tea rises from the boiling kettle.
All over the place were filled with various kinds of rolled up fabric.
After packets were commercialized, it was a new alchemy fabric that surpassed all other fabrics.
There, an elderly man in a neat suit looked at the customer through a monocle.
“Guest… Ah, Hughes. Are you here?”
It is a skinny body or a body type that reveals more clothes because of it. It was as if she was trying to keep her skinny body to show off her clothes.
I also greeted him face-to-face.
“It’s been a while, Smen.”
“It’s been a while. Whoops. Is this old man too old? It still feels like yesterday when I was making clothes for Hughes.”
Shimen poured black tea into a cup and gracefully set it down on the table. I sat down like at home and sipped my tea. The captain also hesitantly sat across from me.
Shimen put the tea down in front of Captain as well.
“Eat it. This old man makes a good cup of tea. It is one of the few tricks.”
“Can accept.”
What if there was a ball in the old kingdom? probably similar Because Shimen was one of the people who led the dance at that time.
Swept away by the atmosphere, the captain timidly sipped black tea. He seemed to like it, his eyes shining and his tongue wet.
I leaned against the back of the chair and said.
“I went on a trip and came back. Just give me one set of clothes.”
“If it’s one piece at a time. As for the clothes of this beautiful lady here?”
“yes.”
The captain, who was sparing his tea, immediately waved his hand.
“refuse. As a member of the armed forces, I cannot accept monetary compensation from you.”
But be that as it may. I glanced at the captain and discussed with Smen.
“I will leave the color to you. As free as possible.”
“It was roughly decided. However, we cannot ignore the preferences of our guests. come on girl Do you have a favorite color?”
“refuse! I’ll do it! That’s a bribe! Bribery is a serious crime punishable by hard labor for both the receiver and the giver!”
Aye well aware.
“Captain Pip.”
‘Thank you for not calling the name of the main building, but I think having the name ‘Captain Pi’ hardened would have a negative impact on the dignity of the captain…’ ”
…Tell me.”
“Do you think I’m trying to bribe Captain Pip to impress?”
bang. I deliberately hit the desk hard enough so that the tea wouldn’t spill out, and I shouted at the captain.
“Captain Pip. are you kidding me? He said he wanted to stay with me for a week!”
“Bu-denial… I didn’t say that…”
“Anyway, whether you’re trying to enjoy a short vacation or spying on me! Is it possible to work in that outfit!”
I pointed to the captain’s stiff uniform. The uniform, which was washed every three days, must have been worn for a long time, but it was still clean.
“At the very least, you should try to disguise yourself by wearing clothes appropriate to the situation!”
“…You mean no effort.”
“is it so! Whether on vacation or surveillance! If you wear a uniform, you’ll do great! Advertise everywhere that a captain on a secret mission is here! Shall I do it for you? Look at the world-! Captain Pip was here!”
“Stop!”
‘The main building is a radio operator… There’s nothing good about being exposed on the surface!’
good. almost passed I shouted more confidently as if driving a wedge.
“If you don’t want to be found out, you should wear normal clothes!”
“Ha, but the main officer is a soldier in the military. Unless you wear a uniform.”
“It’s allowed during covert operations!”
“Oops. Ha, but the main building is already wearing everyday clothes.”
“Is a shirt your everyday wear? Smen. does this make sense? I saw the shirt I wear when sleeping and said it was everyday wear!”
Semen shook his head and let out a lament.
“Huh. It is nonsense. Clothes have a clear purpose, so how can you live with just one set of clothes? It’s an insult and abuse of clothes. If clothes had hands and feet, they would have stood up right away.”
“Did you hear? Semen here is a master at making clothes who worked as a tailor in the kingdom in the past. Although it has been pushed out of the mainstream since the development of clothing packets, it is an expert who has mastered packet technology with great pride and caught up with the times! Are you going to ignore his advice!”
The captain couldn’t even say anything negative anymore and just shook his head.
“ruler. Then, at least wear everyday clothes! Okay?”
“…Accept.”
Eventually, the captain accepted my persuasion and entered the fitting room after receiving the packet given by Smen.
