Chapter 67 - No Other Option

Just like Elius mentioned, a merchant and some workers appeared next, bringing food and other things the Northern base would use. They also brought some letters to the soldiers stationed there. After the man finished his business in delivering the letters, Zaos approached him.

"Hello, my name is Zaos and I would like to send some letters to the capital," Zaos said. "How much do I need to pay?"

The merchant had short black hair and a round body. Although he comes pretty often to the base, it looked like that wasn't enough exercise since he liked to eat and drink fairly well.

"You have good manners and actually can afford to send some letters to your home… you must be from some famous noble house," The man said while studying Zaos from head to toe. "I am the merchant Wyn, the travel back to the capital is pretty long, so one silver coin will be required for each letter."

That was a bit more expensive than Zaos had imagined, but in the end, he didn't hesitate in accepting those prices. Rather than worry about money, he was more worried about his mother. She can only send letters as well once Zaos confirms that he is safe in the northern base, after all.

"You have a lot of letters…" Wyn frowned. "Are these for your beloved future wife?"

"… To my mother," Zaos frowned.

Wyn looked at Zaos from head to toe again. Although he was a kid, he certainly didn't look like a mommy's boy. Even on his day off, the kid was wearing his entire set of equipment, and he didn't look even a bit uncomfortable.

Zaos almost asked the man as well if he was interested in buying his ointments. Still, he decided to do that at a later date, once he confirms that his letters have been delivered. If that weren't to happen, Zaos would make sure to use his family's influence for the first time to destroy a scummy merchant.

"Hey, Zaos, I am broke," Drannor suddenly said after he approached. "Can you lend me a silver coin? I also need to send a letter back home."

Zaos sighed when he heard that… Why did he write a letter when he didn't have the money to send it? Regardless, Zaos paid for his letter as well. Just like the merchant, Drannor frowned at the number of letters Zaos had written. It would make sense if he had written to several people, but not a single person. Zaos really was a devoted son.

"I will be counting on you then," Zaos said and then offered a handshake. "Don't disappoint me." 

Wyn accepted, but then he flinched when he looked at Zaos in the eyes, the kid wasn't joking. For someone of his age, he sure had a murderous gaze. It was almost like he had already been at death's door before. Those letters were really important for Zaos, and he wouldn't ignore them if his mother doesn't receive them. That was what Wyn thought when Zaos turned around and left.

For the rest of the day, Zaos just did some strength training inside his room. He had just learned that doing pushups while a box filled with his set of armor was on his back was really good for his arms and back. At the end of the day, Zaos headed to the commander's office again since he saw him returning the previous day.

"Enter," Ruvyn said after Zaos knocked on his door.

"Sir, I have to receive my squad orders," Zaos said.

"… Did I already say that you really look like your father in all senses?" Ruvyn asked after frowning.

"Yes, sir," Zaos replied.

"For some reason, you don't look pleased," Ruvyn said. "You don't feel pleased when you are compared with your father, and yet, you don't dislike your current self. I guess that is the only thing that your father and you don't share in common."

"Does my father hate his current self, sir?" Zaos frowned.

"No, but when he was here, he truly disliked the person who he was…" Ruvyn said. "Anyway, I shouldn't pry into family matters. These are your orders. While your squad is new and untrained, we will have to send you to guard a nearby village for the next week."

"That sounds like something unusual, sir," Zaos said.

"And it is," Ruvyn nodded. "I believe that you won't face problems since that village has never been targeted and it is small, but it can't be helped since we are a bit shorthanded."

That was odd. After all, there were dozens of thousands of soldiers in the base. Zaos assumed that something related to the reason why the commander Ruvyn left the last time was the cause of that. Still, would nine years old boys really make a village look more secure? An instructor would accompany them, but…

"While your squad is made of recruits, you still are soldiers who serve the kingdom, so you have the right to know what is going on since no one can say that you are safe here," Ruvyn said. "The northern part of the continent is the harshest due to the weather, terrain and because our borders are always attacked by our enemies. The number of attacks has been increasing in the last five years, that is why we have been using recruits like you who had little to no experience to put the minds of our people at ease. Your task in name is to protect a village, Zaos, but in reality, your goal is to put them at ease. Don't fail to achieve that."

In the end, Zaos's squad was being sent because there was no better option. Still, knowing that was better than hearing that they were receiving a harsher treatment. Hopefully, nothing serious will happen during his mission. Still, Zaos couldn't help but wonder if he should share his worries with others. They were only kids, so maybe that wasn't a good idea.