Is This Fucking Sixteen?

West of Dragon Eye Domain, at the foot of Horseshoe Mountain, near Stone Village by the Dom River.

At the head of the unit, John looked at the trembling blond man surrounded by his soldiers. A trace of confusion flashed through his eyes before he turned to Wendy beside him.

"Wendy, what's going on here?"

"Reporting, Captain, I spotted this guy at the village entrance from a long way off. But the moment he saw us coming, he ran. I suspected he was an Allied Forces spy trying to warn them, so I had him detained!"

Wendy answered smugly. She had not forgotten that they had come here to win over the people and ruin the Allied Forces' scheme.

The man before them was dressed like a poor farmer, but there was no way a farming household could have raised someone that big.

What was more, he had fled in terror the instant he saw them.

So he had to be an Allied Forces spy!

Heh heh, I caught an enemy Sentinel so easily. Sure enough, I'm Lieutenant John's smartest soldier!

If I could get important intelligence out of this spy, Lieutenant John would definitely praise me lavishly, right?

At that thought, Wendy excitedly licked her lips and volunteered.

"Captain, how about I interrogate him? I learned interrogation techniques from the others before. Just hand him over to me, and within half an hour, I guarantee this bastard will tell us even the color of the underwear he wore today!"

An Allied Forces spy?

What kind of bullshit was that? It would be a miracle if this godforsaken little village had anyone from the Allied Forces.

Couldn't she see that she had already scared the poor man into pissing himself?

Didn't that prove he was clearly just an honest villager?

If a villager didn't run when he saw a pack of Imperial dogs like them coming, then he had to be sick in the head!

Besides, what the fuck did John need to know the color of his underwear for? Even if this idiot had gone mad chasing merit, she could not persecute innocent people!

What did she take human lives for? She was simply a bastard!

Looking at the poor man surrounded by a group of Imperial dogs, frightened nearly to the point of rolling his eyes back, John's face immediately darkened like the bottom of a pot.

He first shot a fierce glare at the utterly confused Wendy.

Then he dismissed the soldiers standing on guard and stopped before the middle-aged man who had suffered this undeserved disaster. He spoke to him gently.

"My friend, my soldiers were being thoughtless and mistook you for an Allied Forces spy. As their commander, I should apologize to you first. I hope you won't hold it against them."

"..."

The bearded middle-aged man apparently had not expected the Imperial Army, whom the Allied Forces described as ruthless killers, to take the initiative to admit fault to an ordinary civilian like him.

After hearing John's words, he froze where he stood, staring at the officer before him in disbelief.

But then, as though he had thought of something, his face instantly turned deathly pale.

He began kowtowing to John over and over, trembling as he did so.

He kept begging, saying things like, "My lord, please don't kill me."

He struck his head hard against the ground. Even when his forehead hit a rock and began bleeding, he did not dare stop.

It was as if, the moment he stopped, the Imperial demons before him would immediately shoot him dead.

For a while, the air was filled with the sound of his forehead striking the ground, making even John's teeth ache.

Wendy, look what this idiot had done!

What the fuck had she scared him into?

Sure enough, Imperial dogs were Imperial dogs. There was not a single good one among them!

Seeing that the big man ignored him and only kept kowtowing and begging for mercy, John's expression turned ugly to the extreme.

But he also knew that the Empire's terrible reputation among civilians was legendary. It would probably be difficult to persuade the man with words alone.

With a headache coming on, he directly ordered the Imperial Ground Army soldiers beside him to haul the man to his feet.

Then, facing the middle-aged man who had wet himself, John forced out a smile.

"Brother, don't be afraid. We're good people, and we won't kill innocent civilians. We're only passing through this time and want to camp here for the night. We have no other intentions."

"...C-Captain, aren't you here to kill us?"

"Of course not. We've already driven back the Allied Forces, and Dragon Eye Domain has become Imperial territory."

"Before long, you'll become citizens of the Empire too. We're all family, so how could the Imperial Army possibly attack its own people?"

"We only came this time under orders from above to investigate the situation and announce new policies to Stone Village. We absolutely won't harm civilians."

"So, brother, you really don't need to be this nervous. Just think of me as some distant cousin of yours. Don't be so scared. We really are good people."

Once he saw the fear gradually fade from the man's face, John gave the two soldiers holding him a look and had them let him go.

Then, enduring the overpowering stench of urine, he warmly patted the poor man on the shoulder and began making small talk.

"Brother, are you from Stone Village? How old are you this year? Are you married?"

"Reporting, my lord, my name's Mike. I'm sixteen this year, and I'm not married yet."

"But my dad said that once he saves enough money this year, he'll arrange a match between me and Mary from the neighboring village next spring. Heh heh."

Seeing how kind John was, and that he truly did not seem to intend to kill him, old Mike, who looked far older than he was, finally relaxed and scratched the back of his head foolishly.

But as soon as he remembered the rumors that the Imperial Army always burned, killed, looted, and committed every evil imaginable, the smile on his face instantly froze.

Cold sweat began pouring from his forehead.

When it flowed into the wound on his forehead, endless pain immediately shot through him.

But before the terrifying Imperial Army, he did not dare wipe away his sweat. He could only grit his teeth and endure the pain, not daring to make a sound for fear of angering the important man before him.

This was fucking sixteen?

With that rough-looking face, John would have believed him even if he had claimed to be forty!

Looking at young Mike, with his unshaven face and skin nearly as dark as a Black man's, John's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Still, he forcibly suppressed the urge to mock him. Instead, he smiled and patted his shoulder with a sigh.

"Sixteen is good. Sixteen is exactly the right age to get married."

"If I hadn't enlisted, I probably would've gotten married at sixteen too. By now, I might even have several children."

"But meeting is fate. I think you and I have a real affinity."

"How about this? When you get married next year, I'll have someone send you a wedding gift. Consider it compensation for my subordinate's reckless behavior today. What do you say?"

"N-No need, my lord. Really, there's no need. I'm fine."

Mike nervously shook his head again and again, his heart filled with regret.

What wedding gift? From how the villagers described the Imperial Army, it would already be a blessing if these people did not snatch his wife and slaughter his entire family.

After all, weren't the Imperial Army all monsters who killed without blinking?

If he really agreed, then before he could even share a bed with his beloved Mary next year, the grass on his grave would probably be two meters tall.

Sure enough, he should never have listened to those assholes in the village and come to the fields to catch loaches.

Young yet old Mike was filled with regret.

"If I give it to you, then take it. We're family. Don't be so polite with your big brother here."

"I know you've heard plenty of slander about our Imperial Army from the Allied Forces. But let me tell you, everything you heard is just rumor, and rumors are the least trustworthy things there are."

"People have to trust what they see with their own eyes. For example, do you still think I look like a bad person now?"

John patted the man's shoulder with a kindly expression, his tone brimming with confidence.

He felt that with such a friendly display, this Stone Village resident would surely be able to sense his refined and easygoing nature.

After all, though he wore the skin of an Imperial dog, at heart he was a warm and kind member of the Allied Forces.

And as a good young man from the Kingdom, this villager should surely be able to understand that essence of his.

Yet old Mike did not shake his head earnestly as John had expected.

Instead, he fearfully glanced at the two soldiers beside him, who were glaring at him.

When he saw their looks, as though they were saying that if he dared nod even once, they would immediately let him experience what Imperial bullets tasted like—

Old Mike forcefully suppressed the urge to nod.

Instead, he shook his head so quickly it blurred, showing his agreement with the officer's words.

Then, apparently feeling that this still did not adequately demonstrate his loyalty, Mike suddenly had an idea and hurriedly added.

"My lord, you're completely different from those damned Allied Forces! You and your soldiers are good people, the best people!"

"You're the most loyal officer in the Imperial Army, truly!"

?

The Empire's most loyal officer?

No, if he didn't know how to speak, then he should shut the fuck up. Did he want John to sue him for slander?

John gritted his teeth in anger, wishing he could curse the man out from head to toe.

But when he saw the pleading fear in Mike's eyes, the anger in his heart instantly vanished, replaced by unprecedented helplessness.

What could he possibly say to Mike, who was seven years younger than him and, in the eyes of his former self, was only a child?

Besides, Mike did not know that John was different from those Imperial Ground Army soldiers born into aristocratic factions, who had long grown accustomed to burning, killing, and looting.

And aside from the country John had lived in during his previous life, looking throughout history, in any dynasty, it was only natural for civilians to feel instinctive fear when encountering soldiers.

This was an inevitable outcome of violence's power to intimidate and the influence of the current system. It was common sense everyone understood.

Even though he considered himself someone from a civilized society and clearly knew his values did not fit this era, bullying the weak would only make him feel like an animal.

He instinctively rejected such behavior.

But in the end, he could not change this overall Momentum right now.

All he could do was follow this world's rules, then make some changes within the limits of his ability.

After all, individual voices of resistance were often swallowed up and extinguished by terrifying violence when facing capitalism centered around groups.

And if he wanted to survive in this game world built around connections, nobility, strength, and other such elements, he had to make himself fit in.

He had to learn to accept it.

At that thought, John unconsciously sighed.

It was only at that moment that he truly realized it.

He was probably the loneliest person in this world.

No one could understand the troubles weighing on him now.

Still, he hoped that someday in the future, he could find a path that truly belonged to him.

John shook his head and suppressed the tangled thoughts in his heart. Irritably waving his hand, he ordered the soldiers to treat Mike's forehead wound.

Ignoring Wendy's confused calls, he silently walked toward Stone Village, which was close enough to reach.

(End of Chapter)