How a Two-Life Scoundrel Lives - Chapter 29
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 29】
True to his own words, Carlisle was indeed in a truly difficult situation.
Until Carlisle passed the [Noble Proof], he would be rolling around as a lowly foot soldier under Helen’s command.
What if Helen decided to deliberately push him into a death trap?
What if he ended up surrounded by barbarian warriors?
‘My head would become a soccer ball for those barbarian bastards.’
Carlisle frowned as he imagined a barbarian warrior kicking his head around like a ball in play.
‘That’s a bit unpleasant.’
If he was going to die, he wanted to at least leave his corpse intact in this life.
In his previous death, he had been crushed by a massive dump truck weighing dozens of tons, making it nearly impossible to even recover his body.
‘No, wait. What does it matter what happens to my corpse after I’m dead? This isn’t even my original body anyway.’
As he was thinking this, Helen’s voice pierced his ears.
“What did you just say?”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
Helen glared at Carlisle with cold eyes.
“Repeat what you just said.”
“Fuck… Ah.”
Oh no.
Carlisle made an expression of realization.
He realized that while lost in thought for a moment, he had made a slip of the tongue.
Having played the scoundrel for so long, it seemed the habit of blurting things out had become ingrained.
‘I need to stay sharp.’
At least for the time being, until he passed the [Noble Proof], it was best to stay quiet.
Carlisle wasn’t foolish enough to antagonize someone who held his lifeline.
Moreover, wasn’t this a relationship of resentment?
‘Why should I have to pay for the karma that bastard Carlisle accumulated? Sigh.’
Even if it was unfair, there was nothing he could do about it.
Having possessed another’s body, bearing that karma was an unavoidable fate.
“Private Carlisle van Sigmund.”
“Yes, Sir Helen.”
“Get down.”
“Get down.”
Carlisle dropped into a prone position like lightning.
“…!”
Helen was taken aback by Carlisle’s quick response.
‘This easily?’
Who would have thought that the notorious scoundrel who had once slapped her face, the second son of House Sigmund, would immediately comply and drop into position?
The others watching felt the same way.
‘That, that crazy bastard is actually listening?’
‘Am I seeing this right?’
The rumors about Carlisle were so widespread that this was a scene the observers never could have imagined in their dreams.
That moment was brief.
Helen spoke in a cold voice.
“You dare utter profanity in front of a commanding officer despite being a mere private.”
“I apologize.”
“Does having noble blood make that acceptable?”
“No, it does not.”
“This is the first and last time I’ll let it slide. Understood?”
“Yes.”
“Stand up.”
“Stand up.”
As Carlisle stood while repeating the command, Helen warned him in a cold voice.
“Be careful from now on. If something like this happens even once more, I’ll impose punishment according to military law.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Follow me.”
“Yes, Sir Helen.”
Carlisle followed Helen into the fortress without complaint.
‘Even a scoundrel becomes obedient on the battlefield?’
‘This is enough to make ghosts weep.’
‘What’s his scheme?’
The observers were confused and anxious about Carlisle’s compliant attitude.
To third-party eyes, Carlisle seemed like a time bomb that could explode at any moment, so it was actually more comfortable when he was causing trouble.
“We’re returning.”
“Yes.”
The escort unit left Bowden Fortress as soon as they handed over Carlisle, as if fleeing.
Like people running away after dumping off a bomb.
* * *
As Carlisle silently followed behind, Helen spoke without looking back.
“As of this moment, you will serve in the scout unit with the rank of private.”
Carlisle frowned slightly.
He had expected to become an engineer at best and dig for magic stones, but the scout unit?
‘She’s determined to work me to the bone.’
Carlisle knew better than anyone how tough the scout unit was, so he couldn’t think otherwise.
“Why no response? Don’t tell me a direct descendant of House Sigmund is afraid of joining the scout unit?”
“N… No, I’m not.”
Carlisle almost unconsciously answered, “Troublesome things are exactly what I hate most.”
This must be why they say habits are frightening.
“I’m sure someone from House Sigmund knows well enough that you can’t immediately command soldiers.”
“Yes, Sir Helen.”
Ding!
A Quest window appeared.
[Noble Proof]
[Noble Proof]
Fight three battles and gain recognition from your comrades as qualified to be a commander.
Category: General
Progress: 0% (0/10)
Reward: Promotion (Private → Second Lieutenant)
Warning: If you fail to receive unanimous approval, you must restart the Quest from the beginning.
[Noble Proof]
Fight three battles and gain recognition from your comrades as qualified to be a commander.
Category: General
Progress: 0% (0/10)
Reward: Promotion (Private → Second Lieutenant)
Warning: If you do not receive unanimous approval, you must restart the Quest from the beginning.
[Noble Proof]
Fight three battles and gain recognition from your comrades as a qualified commander.
Category: General
Progress: 0% (0/10)
Reward: Promotion (Private → Second Lieutenant)
Warning: If you do not receive unanimous approval, you must restart the Quest from the beginning.
[Noble Proof]
Fight three battles and gain recognition from your comrades as a qualified commander.
Category: General
Progress: 0% (0/10)
Reward: Promotion (Private → Second Lieutenant)
Warning: If you do not receive unanimous approval, you must restart the Quest from the beginning.
[Noble Proof]
Fight three battles and gain recognition from your comrades as a qualified commander.
Category: General
Progress: 0% (0/10)
Reward: Promotion (Private → Second Lieutenant)
Warning: If you do not receive unanimous approval, you must restart the Quest from the beginning.
‘Always with that damn duty, duty.’
Carlisle secretly disliked the House Sigmund family traditions.
‘What’s wrong with enjoying pleasure without responsibility?’
Helen’s voice pierced through Carlisle’s ears with such thoughts.
“Let me emphasize once more: from now on, all your actions will be strictly governed by military law. So behave according to your rank and be faithful to your assigned duties.”
“Yes, Sir Helen.”
“And you’d better be especially careful with your conduct. If you ever think of harassing someone, stake your life on it. I’ll deal with you by immediate summary execution.”
“…”
“Why no answer?”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
Though Carlisle felt wronged, he wasn’t foolish enough to act on it.
“Scout Unit, assemble.”
“Assemble.”
Helen arrived at the barracks where the Scout Unit soldiers stayed and called the unit members together.
“I’m introducing a new recruit. His name is Carlisle van Sigmund. His rank is Private. He’ll be serving with the Scout Unit from today.”
“…”
The Scout Unit soldiers’ faces twisted with displeasure.
‘Why us of all people!’
‘Damn it!’
Due to strict military discipline, no one dared to speak up, but their expressions alone made it clear what they were thinking inside.
“I will not tolerate special treatment based on status. Treat him according to his rank, as befits that position. Understood?”
“Yes!”
Helen turned to look at Begman.
“You’re the senior-most, so look after the new recruit.”
“Yes.”
Though Begman wore a face full of dissatisfaction, he didn’t object to Helen’s order.
“Follow me.”
Begman led Carlisle inside the barracks and pointed to an old field bed positioned in the corner.
“This is your spot from now on, so unpack your things and change into your military uniform first.”
Carlisle followed Begman’s instructions without complaint.
‘This is comfortable.’
Carlisle preferred the worn-out military uniform over the House Sigmund formal wear.
Though it was frayed and worn here and there, since someone had worn it before, it lacked the stiffness of new fabric, making it comfortable to wear.
Moreover, Carlisle particularly disliked the stuffy feeling characteristic of formal uniforms…
Of course, it looked somewhat less stylish, but clothes didn’t matter much to Carlisle anyway.
It felt like Carlisle wasn’t wearing the clothes, but rather the clothes were wearing Carlisle.
“Ahem.”
An uncomfortable cough escaped from Begman’s mouth.
‘So the rumors about him being the greatest beauty in the north weren’t lies after all.’
Usually, new recruits who just put on military uniforms tend to look clueless, but Carlisle was different.
Being so handsome, he managed to pull off even that old military uniform, so far from looking clueless, he even seemed to have a certain charm about him.
“You’re more obedient than I thought. Yeah, it’d be good to keep acting meek like that. We don’t care about your status or anything. But if you act up, then we’ll show you all the affection we can muster. Hehehe.”
After giving that warning, Begman left the barracks with steps that seemed to say ‘let’s see what happens.’
Thanks to that, Carlisle, left alone, could lie down on the field bed and rest for a while.
Compared to the soft yet firm bed at his family home, this was a terrible standard, no different from bare ground, but no complaints arose.
Looking for comfort in this place, Kuberin, would be like looking for scorched rice water in a well.
‘It would be better to fight battles quickly.’
Carlisle wanted to pass [Noble Proof] as soon as possible.
Only then could he shed the Private label and live somewhat more comfortably as an officer.
‘Can I kill people?’
Worry suddenly came first.
Previously, like most ordinary people, he had lived a life far removed from war…
‘I’ll find out by watching. How I’ll act.’
Carlisle suddenly became curious about how he would look when facing the enemy.
That moment when entangled with enemies, killing and being killed.
* * *
Carlisle, assigned to Bowden Fortress, had several days of adjustment period.
The Scout Unit soldiers looked at Carlisle like a cow looking at a chicken and didn’t come close.
It was close to being ignored.
No matter how much he was just a Private, he was still clearly a member of House Sigmund, and no one was bold enough to mess with the son of Grand Duke Guntram, the lord of Decaron.
They didn’t know what kind of retaliation they might face later if they got nastily involved with him.
Thanks to this, Carlisle could spend his time quietly without getting involved in any disputes and could focus on adapting to the unit.
The one who helped Carlisle from the side was Russell, who went by the nickname [Stinky].
This was because of Begman’s order to look after Carlisle as a senior soldier.
Russell was a Lance Corporal, one rank above Carlisle, but didn’t look strong enough to belong to the Scout Unit.
However, Carlisle didn’t look down on Russell.
If he was good enough to belong to the Scout Unit, supposedly the elite of the elite, he must be good at something.
Carlisle didn’t ask Russell why he was called [Stinky].
It didn’t seem like a nickname with good meaning.
“Uh. Um. So that’s…”
“Please speak comfortably.”
Carlisle said to the hesitating Russell.
“Is, is that okay?”
“At least for now, you may.”
“Even so…”
“I’m currently a Private.”
“Then I’ll really speak comfortably?”
“Yes.”
“Y-yeah.”
After Russell started speaking casually to Carlisle, he told him various things about life at Bowden Fortress.
“Actually, being in the scout unit isn’t that difficult. You just need to secure safety in advance so the engineers can mine magic stones with peace of mind, and keep a good watch.”
“Ah?”
“Of course, since we have to go out on reconnaissance frequently, there is some danger.”
“Do you sometimes encounter barbarians?”
“Well~ we do meet them sometimes~”
Russell answered.
“…If you’re fucking unlucky.”
“…”
Seeing Russell’s serious expression, Carlisle could roughly guess what it meant to encounter barbarians.
“We run into them about once every ten times we go out, but don’t worry too much. The barbarians have been pretty quiet lately.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Carlisle answered indifferently.
If encounters with barbarians were rare, it meant there would be no opportunities to pass Noble Proof.
‘Well. Combat breaking out isn’t exactly a good thing.’
Carlisle decided to think that what’s good is good.
Hoping for combat to break out just to pass Noble Proof was absurd.
Why?
Because combat meant someone would die.
Whether they were allies or enemies.
“You’ll probably go out on basic reconnaissance tomorrow. To serve as a scout, you need to learn the routes first.”
Russell’s words were true.
The next morning.
Carlisle left Bowden Fortress together with several soldiers.
As Russell had said, it was to learn the basic reconnaissance routes.
Just before departure.
“You bastard.”
Barber Wilson approached Carlisle and growled at him.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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