CH 72

Chapter 72 – "Hero"

A gorgeous venue.

A man in gorgeous clothes stands in the center.

The "hero" kneels in front of a man with gorgeous clothes.

At the same time as the "hero" kneels, many magical tools record him with a dazzling glow.

And the commander, dressed in gorgeous clothes, proclaimed loudly to the gathered people.

"Now! We can live in peace like this! Thanks to the young man here!

That's it!!! He is the one! It is a hero who saved the homeland from crisis!

Against the overwhelming enemy army, he confronted them with courage! He is guardian deity who caused a miracle and protected the country!!!

He is the one! He is a mirror of military personnel! He is a man who should be a model for the people!!!

I, in honor of his heroic deeds, decided to give him a medal here!!!"

When the commander declares high, he hangs a heavy, rugged, and decorated medal around the young man's neck.

This gorgeous venue is the venue for the medal award ceremony.

Originally, the awarding of medals is a special ceremony that is held only once a year, but this awarding ceremony is held out of time as a special case.

It was a ceremony to award a medal to only one hero.

The hero performed a miracle, leading only 10 homunculus soldiers to stop an enemy division.

It occurred a few weeks before this ceremony took place.

The enemy army had cowardly launched a surprise attack at midnight.

The front collapsed, caught completely off guard, and the tattered friendly forces had no choice but to flee desperately.

However, the enemy didn't loosen their pursuit, continuing to move forward, turning the battle into a slaughter.

There was no stopping the enemy anymore, and if nothing was done, it was possible for the supply station and even the headquarters in the rear to fall.

If that happened, all battlefronts would have become threatened; in the worst-case scenario, we had to consider surrendering to the enemy.

At that time, a "hero" appeared.

He led 10 officially issued homunculus soldiers against a division of one enemy.

It was a reckless act, but he fought.

He fought with all his might for his homeland and for the peace of the people.

And he brought a miracle.

He and the ten homunculus soldiers fought exactly one thousand battles, giving the friendly army time to escape.

No, that wasn't the only thing.

They managed to disrupt the enemy's chain of command, completely confusing the enemy.

At the sight of the "hero" and his homunculi's reckless abandon, the enemy army lost their cool and panicked, breaking rank and form.

The friendly army rushed to the enemy army, which had turned into a mere mob. *(E/N: Technically it was "such a crowd that could be easily besieged" rather than "mere mob.")

By the time the friendly forces completed the siege, the enemy's chain of command had completely collapsed, and they had become completely immobilized.

The friendly army surrounded the enemy, practically turning the event into mere shooting training for themselves.

As a result, it was found that there was almost no reserve force on the front line of the enemy army, and even supplies were scarce.

Based on the information provided, the friendly forces launched a fierce attack on all fronts and were able to break through most fronts.

After just a few days of fighting, the friendly army was able to move forward tens of kilometers.

This is all the result of a miracle brought by the "hero" who stopped the enemy division.

Had there been no hero, the country's position would have been reversed.

It was highly possible that the supply station would have fallen from the onslaught of enemy forces, resulting in even the headquarters being occupied.

And then enemy army would have turned its fangs toward the people.

The motherland decided to award the highest medal to the "hero" who prevented such a situation.

Of course, it wasn't just medals that were given.

The "hero" was given a new class, a new position, a mansion in a prime location in the city, and a dazzling amount of money.

The "hero" who was given such an enviable reward was exhausted.

A few hours after the medal award ceremony ended...

The soldier boy, wearing a big medal, collapsed on the bed in his room.

The luxurious bed gently caught his body, and new sheets wrapped around him.

Collapsing, he lies motionless in bed for a good a while.

He was exhausted.

At the end of the hellish retreat, the friendly army had won.

After that, he was made into a "hero" while saying that.

Well, the reason was simple.

The base commander who recommended him wanted to dispel the fact that his careless actions had triggered an invasion of enemy troops.

The Imperial Headquarters, which received his recommendation, wanted to bury the fact that it was not possible to grasp the movement of the enemy army in advance.

As a senior member of the country who knew of the soldier boy's existence, he needed a "hero" to boost the morale of the people. *(E/N: This part is kinda confusing on who they're talking about.)

All these speculations led him to realize that he would hang a heavy, rugged, and decorated medal from his neck.

In the first place, the Battle of the "Hero" announced to the people isn't exactly a lie, but it isn't exactly truth either.

Indeed, he led 10 homunculus soldiers in battle.

However, in reality, many abandoned homunculus soldiers also fought.

However, the abandoned homunculus soldiers don't exist officially.

As a result, in the official military combat record,

"The hero led 10 homunculus soldiers and fought a division of one enemy."

That's how it was supposed to be.

Of course, the reason why the enemy army decided to invade was not announced, and it is only speculation what he was fighting for.

But in the end, he became the hero who saved his homeland.

Such a "hero" is making a big bear under his eyes. *(E/N: Not sure what it means by "big bear." Perhaps it's referring to heavy bags under his eyes.)

He hasn't slept in the last few days.

It's not that he wasn't allowed to sleep.

About five or six hours a day, the military gives him rest.

However, he hasn't been able to sleep at all.

As a result, exhaustion beset him to the point of collapse.

Normally if he's so tired, he would fall asleep quickly, but that's not the case.

It's because he can't sleep in a normal bed.

Every day on the front line, he slept in a bed made by a homunculus soldier.

He is unable to sleep in a "bed that does not smell of homunculus soldiers at all".

Still, he desperately closed his eyelids,

(Sleep! Sleep!)

He constantly tells this to himself, yet sleep evades him. *(E/N: Originally "I tell his body, but no sleeper came to his body")

Instead of sleepiness, the faces of the dead homunculus soldiers haunt his mind.

The homunculus soldier, who first made the lampshade, jumped, and rejoiced when he thanked her.

When he called out to the troops that had completed the mission, "Thank you for your hard work," everyone fluttered their tails.

Morning greetings, visits to the corps, the homunculus soldiers' various gifts, and the girls who sang and played at the birthday party; their bursting smiles, their last prepared faces, and the shining blue glow behind them...

Such a scene continues to flow in his head.

At the end of the retreat, only a few homunculus soldiers remained, aside from the regular ten.

(Everyone... everyone is dead... Because of my careless behavior... everyone... died)

He pressed his face against the scentless pillow, devoid of the familiar homunculi scent, and bit his teeth.

Already he was physically and mentally close to the limit.

He was so weak that he committed suicide with some rhythm. *(E/N: I don't think this is literal. Rather, it's probably indicating that depressing thoughts are pervading his mind.)

It's time.

The door of his room was knocked a little.

He slowly lifts his exhausted body out of bed and gives him permission to enter the room.

Then...

"Excuse me."

Katamimi came into the room with a voice.

"...What happened..., something... what happened..."

He spoke to Katamimi with a hollow eye, but Katamimi quietly approached him without answering anything.

"Excuse me..."

She hugs the soldier boy tightly.

At that moment, he opens his eyes.

He couldn't understand what happened.

He tried to say something to Katamimi, but the smell of Katamimi came into his nose before the words came out.

That's it... that's all... A powerful drowsiness assaulted his body.

Gradually, he loses strength and collapses on to Katamimi's body.

Katamimi quickly put his body back in bed.

Next to him, who slept like a rock, Katamimi continued to be with him and gently stroking his head.

Katamimi stroked the soldier boy's head all night, and when he suffered from a nightmare, she gently hugged him.

There was light in Katamimi's eyes, and her face was full of warmth. *(E/N: Technically, "charity," not "warmth.")