"Hey Kusha, Senior. I'm back."
Summer was in full swing and the dry sun was beating down.
"Oh my, what's with that injury?"
"I was attacked by bandits… Really, law and order has gotten worse."
Gomuji returned from his peddling trip with bandages wrapped around his face.
The bandages were still stained with red-black blood, and the wounds visible through the gaps looked painful.
"Bandits? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, the guards drove them off. I guess I should spend money on safety after all."
Kusha ran over in shock, and Gomuji returned a bright smile.
Since Gomuji was unable to move from his carriage, he hired a trusted mercenary group to escort him while he was peddling.
This guy is really astute.
"Didn't you ask those guards for treatment?"
"Oh, apparently there's a treatment fee. In that case, it would be cheaper to have Senior heal me, right?"
"…It will be a big problem if it becomes infected. Please get treatment next time, Gomuji."
"Yeah, sorry about that."
However, this stubborn man seemed to have refused treatment, relying on my healing magic instead.
You have a decent amount of money, so please get proper treatment on the spot.
"Did anything trouble you guys?"
"Yeah, we had a bit of a problem. Touri was attacked because she's an Aust."
"What?! The villagers were supposed to be convinced."
"Some retired soldiers returned to the village."
"No way!"
While receiving treatment, Gomuji raised an eyebrow in anger as he listened to the incident where Sedol and I were nearly assaulted.
…This may be the first time I've seen Gomuji angry since Marshdale.
"What happened to them?"
"Someone with reason took control of the situation. As for the guy who kicked Sedol, I kicked him in the balls."
"Well done, as expected of my wife."
Is that what you were doing, Kusha?
"I see, that was certainly a possibility. My bad, Senior, I overlooked that."
"No, it's…"
"Now I'm back, you can rest assured that there won't be any more trouble. I plan on staying in the village for a while, so you can relax."
Gomuji said confidently, smiling at me.
Maybe he was doing some groundwork to get me accepted in the village.
…Gomuji is good at getting into people's hearts.
"I'll do anything for my family's sake."
It is only thanks to his protection that I can live peacefully in this village.
Life really is unpredictable. I never would've imagined how much I'd owe the man who nearly killed me with a grenade on our first meeting.
"So, Senior, did you like the steam bath?"
"Yes, it was very comfortable."
"I don't like it much."
Either I or Kusha was responsible for Gomuji's daily care at home.
Taking care of and feeding his horses is also part of my job.
"For a young man, Vanya is a bit tough."
"Why is that?"
Gomuji's face became a little awkward when the topic of Vanya came up.
Since I'm indebted to him, I was willing to carry him there if he wanted, but…
"…Well, it will be obvious if I get excited. I don't have legs, so I can't get in unless someone carries me."
"Ah."
"It's one thing if I get turned on by Kusha, but I'm scared of her finding out I'm looking at other women."
"I see…"
"But for a man, it's natural to look."
Well, I understand the feeling. Even I sometimes glance when a beautiful woman is in Vanya.
Not in a weird way, it's just eye-catching.
"Vanya is a sacred place, so people give you nasty looks if you get excited. It's like having a feast in front of you but not being able to eat."
"Is it really that bad?"
"Also, sometimes guys hit on you. It gets annoying."
"I thought it would be heaven for men, but it's actually harder than I expected."
"You get it, Senior. At least I wouldn't have to worry about that if I'm with you."
Indeed, it might be a bit of a difficult place for married men.
With women of marriageable age baring their skin, you have to remain as composed as a monk.
"Anyway, the water at home is enough for me."
"I see."
"If you want to go, go ahead. It's a great place to pick up some hot young men."
"I'm married, so I'm not interested in that."
"Oh right."
I like the place because it's great for communicating with people of all ages and genders and offers a wonderful spa experience.
Not for those purposes.
"Well, there's no need to be in a hurry, Senior. If you're too late to marry, Sedol will take care of you, so it'll be fine."
"The age difference is too big."
"Kusha and I are six years apart."
There's a 12-year age gap between me and Sedol.
"It would be a shame for Sedol to be with someone like me."
"No matter how you look at it, he's crazy about you."
"Kids his age just get attached to people who play with them a lot."
It's true that nowadays Sedol comes running over with a smile as soon as he sees me.
But I think he'll drift away when he starts playing with kids his own age.
"Well, that's for the future. Oh yeah, I had something to give you, Senior."
"Something to give me?"
"Yeah, I found something good. Open that wooden box over there."
Gomuji said, clapping his hands as if remembering something.
He pointed to a small wooden box.
"Take out the cylinder in that box."
"This one?"
"Yeah, the black cylinder inside the box. The iron one."
Following Gomuji's instructions, I took out the black cylinder.
It was a heavy, black iron cylinder.
"This is…?"
"Open the clasp and take a look inside."
I opened the iron cylinder as instructed,
"Is this a surgical kit?"
"Yeah, it has tweezers, three scalpels, a needle, thread, and a whetstone. They're heat-resistant, so they can be sterilized in boiling water."
Inside, the brand new surgical tools were neatly stored away.
The beautiful steel-colored luster made it clear that it's a high-quality item.
"This is a gift from me. How do you like it?"
"This is… a wonderful item. Oh, I can put a strap through this hole to carry it on my shoulder."
"That's right. With this, you won't need to go get your surgical tools in an emergency."
A portable surgical kit… This is a very nice gift.
Now I can administer first aid to seriously injured people at any time.
"Thank you, Gomuji. I'm really happy."
"Right? Use it as your business tool."
"I'll treasure it for the rest of my life."
Anita's clinic does have surgical tools, but I'm only borrowing them.
Having my own surgical set is great.
And being portable is the cherry on top.
"I remember you using an army knife for treatment back in Marshdale. You've never had your own first aid kit, have you?"
"Yes, my medical supplies were blown up by a certain someone back then."
"You don't have to bring that back up, Senior…"
In reality, an army knife can be quite handy for emergency treatments. Even in the medical department, we used them when we were short on scalpels.
It's surprisingly useful for debridement.
"Yeah, medical tools suit you better than weapons after all, Senior."
"…Thank you."
"I hope you can live without having to hold something so dangerous anymore."
To be honest, the army knife was a bit too large for my hands.
The scalpel he gifted me today fits my hands much better.
"Yes, I hope so too."
Receiving the surgical set from Gomuji…
I thought it might not be bad to spend my life as a healer in Othello using this.
Maybe I could forget being a medic, mourn my lost comrades like Rodri and live as an ordinary citizen.
Looking at the iron cylinder in my hands, I felt such sentimental thoughts.
I know it's a betrayal to my comrades.
Yet, compared to the terrifying daily life on the battlefield, life in this village is so peaceful and happy.
***
"…What is this?"
"What's wrong, Gomuji?"
Maybe this was a punishment to my indulgent self.
A special edition newspaper was delivered to Othello. It was the sign that everything was about to fall apart.
"What does that paper say?"
"Josegrad… It says that the Sabbath's capital was burned down."
"The capital? By whom? The Austin Army?"
"No…"
The extra edition was printed by a newspaper company in the capital.
The date is about a month ago. Information travels very slowly since Othello is on the outskirts of the Sabbath.
"People calling themselves the Workers' Council."
"…The Workers' Council?"
I had never heard of that organization.
"If this is true, it's a huge deal."
"Until we can verify the authenticity of this information, it would be best for Gomuji not to go out peddling."
"Yeah. I thought the security situation had been strangely bad recently…"
I knew Remi, but I didn't have any detailed information about her.
I had only heard from Bern that Remi was a terrorist who didn't care about other people's lives.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
"I hope that hunch turns out to be wrong."
So, I had no way of knowing what was happening in the Sabbath at that time.
***
Unfortunately, Gomuji's bad feeling turned out to be true in the worst possible way.
Soon, a major civil war, later called the "Sabbatian Revolution," would erupt, dividing the Sabbath Federation in two.
The gates of hell, beckoned open by the demon Bern, were beginning to creak wide open.
What was happening in the capital at this time?
At the time, information had spread that the Sabbatian government had refused Austin's unconditional surrender and had missed out on victory, leading to demonstrations that were close to riots.
Citizens flocked to politicians' homes and government offices every day, demanding explanations and compensation from the government.
And finally, an incident occurred where a politician was assaulted by citizens.
Feeling the danger, politicians ordered the military to treat the people who took part in the demonstrations as traitors.
They tried to subjugate the citizens through military force.
"Why should I shoot my friends and family?"
This was the wrong move.
They had forgotten that soldiers were citizens too.
"That's my sister over there, don't shoot!"
"But we've been ordered."
"I'll kill you if you shoot!"
It's obvious, but most of the soldiers stationed in the capital were from the capital.
To them, it is like being ordered to shoot their own family and friends.
"Sorry, but I might have accidentally missed the order."
"Well, it can't be helped then."
Few troops carried out this order, and many decided to sabotage it.
Moreover, I heard that some soldiers even deserted and began to guard the demonstrators.
As a result, the military's chain of command became disorganized and stopped functioning.
"Now, the Sabbath must be reborn. To become a nation that hates war, loves peace, and can live together with family and strength."
Amid this chaotic situation, the Workers' Council led by Remi Ulyakov rapidly gained influence.
The Workers' Council became a refuge for the deserters and began various activities to protect the demonstrators.
They set up huge barricades throughout the city, where they brought in wounded civilians for treatment and loudly protested against the war.
Their activities garnered the support of many citizens and received substantial aid.
Remi Ulyakov's overwhelming beauty and charisma also played a part in their expanding influence.
Their influence grew daily and citizens began to follow the Workers' Council more than the government.
And the day the Workers' Council surpassed the government in influence, military power, and popularity…
The Sabbath Federation effectively collapsed.
"This country has become distorted because money-hungry people have power."
In order to weaken the power of the former government, the Workers' Council raided the homes of high-ranking government officials and assassinated them.
Their targets also included military corporations that allegedly wanted to continue the war.
Remi incited the people in her speeches, leading to the burning down of many corporate headquarters by the masses.
The notion that corporations were evil gradually spread.
"We should all be equal. Corporations that hoard and monopolize wealth are evil."
This sentiment turned into indiscriminate hatred towards the wealthy among the populace.
In her speeches, Remi spoke of this ideology:
"If the people could share all wealth, the gap between rich and poor would disappear."
And…
This frightening idea, which can also be rephrased as "the government will manage all the wealth of the people," was accepted by many impoverished workers.
They believed that if it could be realized, it would make the country wonderful.
I'm sure Remi herself believed the same.
But this new ideology threw the Sabbath into chaos.
Using this ideology as a justification, indiscriminate plundering of the wealthy became rampant throughout the Sabbath.
Just to clarify, Remi never condoned looting.
She only targeted the corporations that were profiting from the war, and merely called for "donations for overthrowing the government" from merchants.
Remi did not intend to exclude merchants. Rather, she wanted to actively incorporate them for logistics.
She targeted corporations to create a clear enemy and strengthen unity among her allies.
In fact, in her speeches, Remi said, "Merchants are essential for the prosperity of the people," and many town merchants became her patrons.
However, the people who heard her speech interpreted it in a way that was convenient for them.
They misunderstood "sharing wealth" to mean theft was permissible, and thought attacking merchants was justified because "corporations are the enemy."
Remi's ideas were too new, leading to many misunderstandings among the masses.
To deal with the rapid deterioration of public order, Remi organized her own security forces.
This was a private army formed primarily by military personnel who had defected during the protests. It punished bandits who had misinterpreted the ideology and committed atrocities.
However, her reach only extended to the capital's surroundings, leaving no room to handle the outskirts.
The fuse of war was slowly being laid in the peaceful village of Othello.
Horrifyingly, the number of casualties in the Sabbath this year was several times that of the war.
Most of the deceased were not soldiers but ordinary citizens who lived peacefully.
Thus, the collapse of the Sabbatian Federal Government marked the beginning of the worst year in the Sabbath's history.
How much of this tragedy was part of his plan is unknown.
However, it is certain that the one who created this hell was none other than Austin's hero, Bern Valou.