“General Bin, wake up. We’re ready to camp.”
On the first day, the second day, and the third day... ... .
Until the seventh night, our expedition was not attacked at all.
It felt like things were going too smoothly, but what if these days happen?
This was much better than being attacked by the overlord out of the blue due to a misunderstanding.
The soldiers sat around the campfires lit here and there, smiling and making uninspiring jokes.
The horses were exhausted and falling asleep, and the high wizard Alter set up simple electric traps around the campsite to prepare for any possible night raids.
“General Bin. Let’s have dinner.”
I carefully took a spoonful of the chicken stew that the platoon leader had cooked for me and reviewed the teachings Alter had given me.
“Thank you. “Thanks to you, General, the expedition is easy.”
“... ... Yes?”
The platoon leader thanked Lir and me, who were reading their notebooks and grimoires using the light from the campfire as a light.
What, what are you thankful for?
All I did on this expedition was write down Alter’s words, review them, and fall asleep in the carriage repeatedly.
Isn’t there anything the platoon leader can be thankful for?
“... ... Ah!”
Is it because I always greeted every soldier I met politely despite my high rank?
After all, the military is a group of people.
Even if the rank was a bit higher, it was much more beneficial for the younger ones to be polite to the adults than not to be. We even exchanged nice words like this.
“No. It’s only natural.”
I smiled as brightly as I could and greeted the platoon leader.
Of course, manners are an important virtue in any country.
... ... In any dimension, in any world.
“Thank you, Lir. I would like to thank Alter, but you are not here right now. Thanks to you all, we have almost reached our destination without any casualties.”
... ... ?
Even if he is thanking me, why on earth is the platoon leader thanking Lir and Alter?
I looked at the two of them with a puzzled look.
“... ... .”
Lir, whose eyes met mine, pulled down the brim of his hat with his thin fingers as if embarrassed, and lowered his head. The pointed ears sticking out from under the wide brim looked particularly red, perhaps because of the light.
‘... ... Ah, I get it.’
Perhaps the platoon leader thanked Lir and Alter because they would always set trap magic around them whenever they went camping.
Well, thanks to that, all the soldiers are able to spend the night comfortably without having to set up a night watch.
It seems that even if it was a little risky, it was the right thing to do to mobilize Alter for this journey.
Thanks to that, the soldiers can rest comfortably in the campsite, and I can learn a lot.
“Yes... ... .”
Lir greeted him in a voice that was almost crawling, with his hat pulled down low.
“It would be better to greet him properly while looking him in the eye. If possible, take off your hat.”
As a wizard who had flown in from the Land of Courtesy in the East, I solemnly pointed out Lir’s insincere greeting.
“Shouldn’t a younger person be polite to an older person first?”
... ... Actually, I was just teasing Lir because I wanted to talk about this.
‘A younger person.’
I never dreamed I would say that to an elf in my entire life.
Until I met this elf named Lir.
How many opportunities would a human dying before reaching 100 years have to tell an elf race that can easily survive 3,000 years, or even 5,000 years, that they are young?
I can’t just throw away such a precious opportunity.
‘Hehehe... ...!’
My hipster desire gauge, which had to be filled periodically, was completely full.
A hollow laugh kept threatening to escape my lips. I clenched my fists and shook them, enjoying the pleasure of this moment as it was.
‘How many people have ever said this to an elf? Maybe I’m the first among the people living in the metropolitan area? No, maybe I’m the only one on this continent who’s had this experience... ... .’
Wow, thinking like this makes me crazy?
My whole body trembled with excitement when I thought of myself as a continent-scale hipster.
Visit freёwebnovel.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.
“Hehehe... ... .”
“... ... .”
While I felt satisfied for the first time in a long time, Lir held the quill tightly and curled up, staying in that state for a while. Her eyes were down on the floor.
While I was putting the chicken stew in my mouth with a happy smile full of satisfaction, Lir just held the stew bowl for a while with her whole body flushed as if she was feeling unwell.
Because I was born with a cursed body, I didn’t eat food very quickly. Every time I swallowed food, I felt a bloated feeling inside, so I basically couldn’t eat food quickly.
While I emptied half of my stew bowl, the stew in Lir’s bowl didn’t decrease at all.
“It’s getting cold, why aren’t you eating?”
I looked at her with a puzzled look and asked.
“Oh, ah... ... .”
“... ... ?”
“That... ... s... ... .”
“Sergeant Tian! Don't make me laugh. Where in the world is that, oh my god!"
"No. I told you it really happened? The rat that came out of our old barracks had a tail the size of your head!"
Lir muttered something in a voice that was almost crawling, but her voice was drowned out by the laughter of the soldiers that came at that moment.
"Huh?"
When I asked her again, raising my voice slightly to ask her to speak a little louder, her delicate shoulders hunched for a moment and she shut her mouth tightly as if she had eaten honey.
... ... It's not like there's any communication problem, really.
I put the stew bowl down on the floor and waited quietly for Lir to open her mouth. I added that I didn't mean to get angry.
"... ... Should I apologize?"
After keeping her mouth shut for almost two minutes, the voice that she let out with difficulty sounded almost like a rat's cry.
"Apologize? To whom?"
“Just now, to that... ... Captain. I don’t want to seem rude... ... .”
“... ... .”
Oh my.
This elf must have been groaning and not eating because of the words I said to satisfy my useless desires.
... ... I feel a little sorry.
“Do you want to apologize?”
Lir nodded, pressing his hat down with one hand to keep it from falling off.
It wasn’t something he did that was so rude that he needed to apologize, but... ... I couldn’t stop him if he wanted to do it.
“Then do it. Take off your hat.”
I actively encouraged Lir.
After all, I couldn’t say that I wasn’t responsible for this situation... ... .
“Take off your hat too?”
“That’s the courtesy among humans.”
“... ... .”
Lir let out a small sigh, clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly, then carefully placed the stew on the floor and slowly approached the group of soldiers with the platoon leader.
“If you hit like that, our old barracks will be even worse! Corporal Tian, do you know that if you don’t manage the weeds well, they can grow up to the height of the castle walls?”
“You’re talking crazy! That’s not a weed, it’s a sacred tree, you punk!”
Lir stopped in front of the platoon leader, who was listening to their stories with interest, with the stew bowl he had finished eating on the floor, while the other members were wasting their time talking nonsense.
“T-that time... ... I’m sorry!”
Lir quickly took off his hat, bowed, and let out a voice that was almost cracking before turning around.
“... ... .”
While the platoon leader and the members were dumbfounded by the incomprehensible situation, Lir quickly ran back to the tree stump where I was sitting.
Then, as if she was suddenly hungry, she picked up her bowl of stew that had been placed on the floor and started moving the spoon diligently.
I carefully patted her back to show that she did a good job while watching her.
Lir was startled when my hand touched her back and almost dropped her spoon.
“... ... .”
She paused for a moment and carefully turned her head to look at me. She filled her bowl with stew and gave me a look of bewilderment.
... ... I didn’t expect this kind of reaction.
“Oh, well. You did a good job.”
Ha, you’re embarrassed.
* * *
The soldiers quietly whispered as they watched Lir, who had her hat pulled down low, start eating the stew in a hurry, and the white-haired boy who was patting Lir on the back.
No matter who saw it, what had just happened was not normal.
The average elf has a lifespan that is ten times longer than a human, and sometimes more than fifty times longer.
The elven wizard, who looked to be only twenty years old, was actually the oldest among them.
But, that elf.
came to apologize for his rudeness?
... ... that race known for being rude?
“What on earth is this?”
The platoon leader tilted his head as if he was dumbfounded and asked his subordinates.
“... ... What did you do, platoon leader?”
His platoon members were also clueless.
“I don’t know what it was, but isn’t it something Bin-nim told you to do?”
Anyone would think that way when they saw the elf bowing his head in shame and the white-haired boy patting the elf on the back.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen
“Bin-nim?”
“Why on earth... ... would you... ... make an elf do that?”
In the brief silence, only the sound of burning wood echoed between them.
There was no one among them who had a clear mind enough to understand the white-haired boy’s intentions.
“... ... They say there are many strange types among wizards. But this time, I really don’t understand. Mr. Bin is usually really gentle, and he was kind to us... ... .”
“When you went to the two of you with the stew, didn’t you talk to them? Did something happen then?”
“Oh, come to think of it... ... Mr. Bin always takes off his hat when talking to someone else.
That is manners... ... scolded... ... .”
It was an absurd situation.
Teaching manners to an elf?
Teaching human manners to that proud and shameless race?
Elves were a race that was so far removed from manners and shamelessness that they would order a ninety-year-old man to buy coffee while looking only twelve years old.
A race that lived with such a wall built up around manners, teaching human manners to such a race.
And that was only a boy who was sixteen or seventeen years old.
“Then one thing is certain: Bin-nim made Lir-nim apologize. It was unconditional. A shameless race like elves would never come to apologize first.”
“But... ... why? Bin-nim insisted? It wasn’t like he was rude to himself.”
“Just because it seemed fun... ... ? There are many eccentric people among wizards.”
“That can’t be true. Mr. Bin is usually very polite. I don’t want to think that appearance was fake.”
“Then... ... you have a personality that is extremely sensitive to manners and cannot just ignore rudeness... ... ?”
Silence fell once again at Corporal Tian’s opinion.
Unfortunately, that was the only theory that could come to their brain level to explain this crazy situation.
The boy named Bin was someone who valued manners so much that he could force an arrogant and proud elf to apologize.
At least for now, that was the truth for the soldiers gathered around the campfire.
“You always greeted me with a smile, so I thought you had a very gentle personality... ... but you were hiding your fangs.”
“As expected... ... not just anyone can become a member of the Black Knight Party... ... .”
The soldiers began to rewrite the impressions they had of Bin in their heads.
“Listen carefully, everyone. From today on, no matter what happens, you must be polite to Bin. Even if he treats you well, don’t let up. Never, even a little bit, do not crawl up to him. Never think of competing with him. He seems to be the type who will never leave a swindler alone.”
After a brief thought, the platoon leader gave this advice to the soldiers.
A chill ran down the spines of the soldiers who were near the fire at that warning.
He had greatly insulted the elf for a really trivial mistake, not taking off his hat when greeting him.
How would the boy react if that rudeness had been directed at him instead of someone else?
It was clear that the unit would be in chaos.
“Never. Never do anything rude. Be polite.”
That night, the soldiers had no choice but to stay up all night, reflecting on their actions over the past week.
* * *
“Are you awake?”
“Good morning! General!”
As soon as they opened their eyes to the morning sunlight, loud greetings resonated from all directions.
“Uh... ... yes. Good ah... ... .”
“General, are you awake?”
“Good morning! General Bin!”
Before I could finish speaking, the soldiers ran toward me as if they were the ones to greet me first. Their voices were full of spirit.
What is this?
Why all of a sudden? Did they take medicine as a group?
“Good morning, General Bin! The morning roll call has already been completed! The horses are in good condition, and the carriage wheels have also been inspected! Today, if we don’t encounter monsters or demons, we plan to arrive at the Enker Plateau around 13:00... ... .”
Why are you suddenly calling me by my full name and title?
Don't do this.
I'm scared... ... .
Seeing the soldiers' attitudes change overnight, I quickly loaded the sleeping bags I used last night onto the wagon and hurriedly hid in the corner of the wagon.
What the hell, what the hell are these people?
"Let's go!"
The infantrymen and the horses they rode ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) on shouted vigorously as if they had been waiting for this moment and got back on the expedition.
"... ... They're all so sharp, like they've been given some kind of treat."
Alter glared at me as he spoke, looking at the soldiers who were unusually energetic today.
"Isn't it because we're about to arrive at the Enker Plateau? We're going to have to face the dragon today... ... ?"
I spoke with a trailing edge, not being sure.
Do you know why they were so excited?
“... ... Everyone, this must be their first time seeing a dragon in real life.”
Lir spoke quietly, as if agreeing with what I said.
“They say that even grown men are still children, and it really is. They’re so excited about dragons.”
Her tone contained a faint sense of pride that you might not even notice if you didn’t look closely.