This Is Fucking Sixteen?

This Is Fucking Sixteen?

West of Dragon Eye Domain, at the foot of Horseshoe Mountain, near Stone Village by the Dom River. At the front of the unit, John looked at the blond man surrounded by his own soldiers, trembling all over, and a trace of doubt flashed through his eyes. He then turned to Wendy beside him.

"Wendy, what's going on here?"

"Reporting, Captain, I spotted this guy at the village entrance from far away. But the moment he saw us coming, he ran. I suspect he's an Allied Forces spy trying to warn them, so I had him detained!"

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

Though the man before them was dressed like a poor farmer, his build did not look like something a farming family could raise. What was more, he had fled in terror the moment he saw them.

So he was definitely an Allied Forces spy!

Hehe, she had caught an enemy sentry so easily. Sure enough, she was Lieutenant John's smartest soldier!

If she could get important intelligence out of this spy, Lieutenant John would surely praise her lavishly, wouldn't he?

At the thought of that, Wendy excitedly licked her lips, then volunteered herself.

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

An Allied Forces spy?

What fucking joke was that? It would be a ghost story if this godforsaken little village had anyone from the Allied Forces.

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

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

As a villager, if he did not run upon seeing a pack of Imperial dogs like them coming over, then there was something wrong with his head!

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

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

Watching the pitiful man surrounded by a group of Imperial dogs, so terrified he was practically rolling his eyes back, John's face immediately darkened like the bottom of a pot.

First, he shot a fierce glare at the utterly baffled Wendy. Then he dismissed the soldiers standing ready for battle, stopped before the middle-aged man who had suffered this unprovoked disaster, and spoke gently.

"Sir, my soldiers were thoughtless and mistook you for an Allied Forces spy. As their commander, I should first apologize to you here. I hope you won't take it to heart."

"..."

Perhaps he had never expected that the Imperial Army, which the Allied Forces described as bloodthirsty killers, would actually take the initiative to admit fault to an ordinary civilian like him.

Upon hearing John's words, the bearded middle-aged man froze where he stood, staring at the officer before him with disbelief written all over his face.

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

He began trembling and repeatedly kowtowing to John, all while crying out pleas such as, "My lord, please don't kill me!"

He struck his head with considerable force. Even when his forehead hit a stone and began bleeding, he did not dare stop.

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

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

Wendy, look at the fine mess you made, you idiot!

What the fuck had she scared him into?

Sure enough, Imperial dogs were Imperial dogs. Not one of them was any good!

Seeing that the big man was turning a deaf ear and only blindly kowtowing and begging for mercy, John's expression became uglier than ever.

But he also knew that the Empire's vile reputation was as thunderous among civilians, and it would likely be difficult to persuade the man with words alone.

With a headache brewing, he directly ordered the nearby army soldiers to haul the man to his feet. Then, wearing a strained smile, he spoke to the middle-aged man who had wet himself.

"Brother, don't be afraid. We're good people and won't slaughter innocents indiscriminately. We only came through here and wish to camp in your village for one night. We mean nothing else by it."

"...O-officer, you're not here to kill us?"

"Of course not. The Allied Forces have already been driven back, and Dragon Eye Domain has become Imperial territory. Before long, you will become citizens of the Empire as well. We're all one family now, so how could the Imperial Army possibly lay hands on our own people?"

"This time, we only came under orders from above to investigate the situation and announce new policies to Stone Village. We absolutely will not harm civilians. So, brother, you really don't need to be so nervous. Just treat me as some distant younger cousin of yours. Don't be so afraid. We truly are good people."

After seeing the fear on the man's face gradually fade, John signaled the two soldiers holding him up to let him go.

Then, enduring the overpowering stench of urine, he amiably patted the poor fellow on the shoulder and began chatting with him as though they were old acquaintances.

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

"Reporting, my lord, my name is Mike. I'm sixteen this year, and I ain't married yet. But my pa said that once he saves enough money this year, he'll arrange a match between me and Mary from the next village when spring comes next year. Hehe."

Seeing John act so kindly, as though he truly had no intention of killing him, old Mike, who looked somewhat prematurely aged, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He scratched the back of his head and answered foolishly.

But very quickly, when he recalled the rumors that the Imperial Army always burned, killed, looted, and committed every evil imaginable, the smile on his face instantly froze, and cold sweat began pouring from his forehead.

When the sweat ran into the wound on his forehead, it immediately brought endless pain.

Yet before the terrifying Imperial Army, he did not dare wipe it away. He could only grit his teeth and endure the pain, not daring to make even a single sound for fear of angering the great figure before him.

This was fucking sixteen?

With that slapdash face of yours, I'd fucking believe you if you said you were forty!

Looking at young Mike, with his scraggly beard and skin nearly as dark as a Black man's, John could not stop the corners of his mouth from twitching.

But he forcibly suppressed his urge to mock him. Instead, he patted the man's shoulder with a smile and sighed.

"Sixteen is good. Sixteen is the perfect age to get married. If I hadn't enlisted, I reckon I'd have gotten married at sixteen just like you. By now, I might even have several children already."

"But meeting is fate, and I think you and I are rather fated. How about this? When you get married next year, I'll definitely have someone send you a wedding gift. Consider it compensation for my subordinate's rash behavior today. What do you think?"

"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? Going by how the villagers described the Imperial Army, it would already be a blessing if these people did not steal his wife and kill 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 consummate his marriage with his beloved Mary next year, the grass atop his grave might already grow two meters tall.

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

The young yet old-looking Mike's heart was filled with regret.

"Take what I give you. We're family, so don't be so polite with your big brother. I also know you've heard plenty of slander about our Imperial Army from the Allied Forces, but I must tell you that everything you heard is a rumor, and rumors are the least trustworthy things in the world."

"A person still has to believe their own eyes. For example, do you still think I look like a bad person now?"

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

He felt that with his friendly manner, this villager from Stone Village would surely be able to sense his refined and easygoing nature.

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

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

Yet after hearing those words, old Mike did not seriously shake his head as John had expected. Instead, he fearfully glanced at the two soldiers glaring at him from beside him.

When he saw the looks in their eyes, as though they were saying that if he dared nod even once, they would immediately let him have a taste of Imperial bullets—

Old Mike forcefully restrained his urge to nod and instead shook his head so fast it became a blur, expressing his agreement with the officer's words.

Then, seeming to feel that this was not enough to show his loyalty, Mike had a flash of inspiration and hurriedly added.

"My lord, you're completely different from those damned Allied Forces. You and your soldiers are good people, the very best people. You're the most loyal officer in the Imperial Army, truly!"

?

I'm the Empire's most loyal officer?

No, if you don't know how to talk, then don't fucking talk. Believe it or not, I'll sue you for slander!

John ground his teeth in fury, wishing he could curse the man from head to toe.

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

Facing Mike, who was seven years younger than him and, in his past life, would have counted as nothing more than a child in his eyes, what could John possibly say?

What was more, the man did not know that John was different from those Imperial 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 past life, looking through history, regardless of the dynasty, it was only natural for any commoner to feel instinctive fear upon encountering soldiers.

Under the deterrence of violence and the influence of the current system, this was an inevitable result, common sense known to everyone.

Even though he considered himself someone from a civilized society and clearly understood that his own values did not apply to this era, and that bullying the weak would only make him feel like a beast, he instinctively rejected such behavior.

But at the end of the day, he could not change the tide of the times right now.

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

After all, when an individual's voice of resistance faced capitalism centered around groups, it was often swallowed up and extinguished by terrifying violence.

And if he wanted to survive in this game world centered around connections, nobles, strength, and such things, 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 understood.

He was probably the loneliest person in this world.

No one could understand the troubles weighing on him now.

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

John shook his head and pressed down the tangled thoughts in his heart. Somewhat irritated, he waved a hand and 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)