EP.176 The Story of the Past, the Military-Run Host Bar
"Captain. What is it that you want?"
These were the first words spoken by Sephier, the undisputed richest person in the Military Nation, after having a private meeting with Abby.
It was a sudden question, but Abby, sitting with a stiff posture, answered earnestly.
"Question. I do not understand what you mean."
"Ah, I am asking what you wished for from my master. What on earth could it be that my master is trying to help you so fully, both materially and spiritually?"
Sephier spoke leisurely and poured black tea into a cup. A sweet fragrance that began from the pouring tea spread through the narrow dining room. While the gurgling sound of the water swirling into the cup was faintly heard.
The Captain hesitated before answering.
"...A marriage registration."
Drip.
The black tea filled the cup to the brim and overflowed in a stream. The Captain spoke urgently.
"Cheon-uimubong, the tea is overflowing right now."
Sephier answered.
"No. I was not flustered at all."
"Denial. I did not ask whether you were flustered or not. I was merely asking about the tea overflowing."
It was time that stopped the stream of black tea, not Abby or Sephier. Sephier, frozen with the exact same expression she had made earlier, set the empty teapot upright again.
"A marriage registration... My master... didn't say she would do it for you, did she?"
It was a voice Sephier brought out, desperately hoping for a denial. However, Abby could not read that expectation, nor did he have any intention of doing so. Abby answered honestly.
"...She showed a sign of affirmation."
Bang. A gloved hand slammed down onto the puddle on the dining table. The black tea splashed in all directions, scattering a sweet scent, but neither Abby nor Sephier could pay any attention to it.
"Why?! Why, when you've only just met my master?!"
Interpreting those emotional words as a pure question, Abby pondered for a moment before answering.
"If I were to die, it is to claim my death compensation."
"Pardon?"
If the Captain dies, she claims the compensation.
In other words, it meant the Captain was currently under threat to his life.
Instantly grasping the underlying situation, Sephier viewed the circumstances much more calmly. She reattached her half-risen hips to the chair and tapped the table.
"I see. Master didn't grant your wish, but..." She sighed.
Sephier narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue as she looked at Abby, who was sitting with innocent eyes.
Truly foolish and absent-minded eyes, but Sephier must have worn a similar expression. For Sephier to blame Abby would be spitting in her own face.
Sephier let out a small sigh and spoke.
"Captain, listen well. I am saying this for the sake of my master's honor, but she did not accept your offer because of money."
"..."
Abby nodded. It was something he had fully expected.
The Military Nation's greatest holding company, Cheon-uimubong. Even taking just a fraction of this wealth would easily surpass the Captain's death compensation. And Sephier even had the inclination to give it all away, leaving only a fraction for herself.
"My master, who even refused my money with no strings attached, would never register a marriage for such petty cash."
"Petty cash... you say. Then. Why did she..."
Because she pitied Abby? Or because her heart was moved? If not that, was it simply that she didn't refuse?
Or perhaps...?
Sephier's voice grabbed hold of the wings of imagination that were inevitably spreading.
"It's hard to explain in a single word. Instead, I'll tell you a story that might help you understand my master."
Sephier handed the cup of black tea to Abby. As Abby received the sloshing cup with both hands, Sephier poured her own tea and proposed.
"It will be quite a long story. Would you care to listen?"
Speaking objectively, there was neither a need nor a reason for Abby to listen to it. Abby had to go stop the shadow's conspiracy right this instant.
However, the curiosity in a corner of his heart reared its head.
Who is she?
What on earth is her identity?
Why did she accept his offer when she wasn't in need of money?
He was already at the Cheon-uimubong residence anyway. With the help of Cheon-uimubong and Jiknyeo, he would be able to suppress the situation more easily...
Deceiving himself like that.
Abby could not suppress his curiosity and nodded.
Six years ago, Amitengrad.
A dark-skinned man with thick sideburns stormed in. Named Peto, he was quite a handsome man if one excluded the sideburns, and possessed an appearance that would be even more favorable to those who didn't mind them.
Anyway, with sideburns as impressive as his looks, he kicked open the door to the side room and shouted.
"Hughes, you bastard! You're not doing your job right!"
"Eek."
Was he around the age of just graduating from middle school? A young man who looked like a boy right before the end of his growth spurt, or a young man who had just come of age, let out a small groan.
The young man called Hughes answered with a fed-up look.
"Ah, why? I definitely did the work."
Peto's veins popped out on his neck.
"Are you kidding me! While you were gone, Madam Varentia cried her eyes out, telling me to hand you over! Do you know how hard I worked to calm her down?!"
"I wouldn't know. I wasn't there then."
"Of course you weren't!"
It couldn't be helped. He was a substitute. Unlike Peto, who had to commute every day, Hughes only showed his face once in a while when he had time.
But that was what caused this mess.
After taking a deep breath, Peto steadied himself and spoke.
"Now, let me emphasize this again. Who are we?"
"A host bar."
At Hughes' immediate answer, Peto yelled.
"Public welfare soldiers, you bastard! Public welfare soldiers! We are public welfare soldiers! When loyal soldiers work hard in distant lands for the peace of this country, aren't we the public welfare support soldiers who take good care of the remaining families so they don't feel anxious!"
"Yes, that's right. Your main duty is comforting the madams who have become lonely after sending their husbands to distant posts."
Peto, fully agitated, shouted.
"Hey!"
"Why."
Peto searched for a rebuttal for a moment. In other words, it meant he had to rack his brain to counter Hughes' words.
Public welfare support soldiers. They were those who helped with the household affairs and events of high-ranking officers, and assisted them in leading a smooth family life.
In other words, their main job was to cater to the madams' whims.
After pondering for a long time, Peto spat out a poor excuse.
"It's not just about comforting the madams! We also take care of the children!"
"In a word, you're just housekeepers for high-ranking officials. With a host bar on the side."
"Watch your mouth! Even if it's true, there are things that should and shouldn't be said out loud!"
Just then, a sound came from outside. Horrified, Peto lowered his voice and said to Hughes.
"Madam Varentia is the wife of Lieutenant Commander Varentia, an executive in the military. Are you confident you'll be safe if an enraged lieutenant commander pays you a visit?"
"No."
"Then you should have done a better job!"
"I tried my best too. You have no idea how carefully I conversed just to avoid creating any unnecessary scandals."
Hughes said in a sullen voice. Peto, who had watched his efforts from the sidelines, shut his mouth.
Lieutenant Commander Varentia was a strict officer with a splendid mustache, but he was only gentle with his wife. Madam Varentia, who had lived her married life being doted on by him, became a person even more demanding than her husband.
The two were a perfect couple who were deeply in love when they were together, but when Lieutenant Commander Varentia was reassigned elsewhere, a crack appeared in the word 'perfect'.
Both were anxious about the other's absence, but neither the lieutenant commander nor the wife wanted to leave the beautiful wife near the front lines.
The wife, left alone in the capital, stormed into the Veterans' Affairs Office every day and threw hysterics. The public welfare soldiers, who could neither seduce her nor kick her out, simply endured the pain, praying for the lieutenant commander's reassignment to end...
The person who appeared like a comet at that time and calmed the madam down was Hughes, who had just graduated from middle school and arrived in the capital.
Recalling the time he first brought him here, Peto pressed his hand to his forehead and muttered.
"Seriously, it's a relief you're young. If you didn't have such a boyish look, Madam Varentia would have seen you as a man, not a son."
"It's not a relief, it's a misfortune. If my looks weren't youthful enough to stimulate the madams' faint sense of guilt, I would have received a lot more gifts."
"If you did that, you wouldn't have been able to work here! Know your place. You are nothing more than a pinpoint for Madam Varentia!"
"What are you going to do if I apply to be a public welfare soldier after I complete my civil registration? Are you going to fail me? A talent like me?"
"Tha...!"
The two always bickered, but Peto could count on one hand the number of times he had won. Peto muttered.
"...You're going to face some huge trouble because of that mouth of yours someday."
"Why are you cursing me just because you can't win an argument, senior?"
"I can't win with words, so I'm ending it with a curse!"
Still, the result itself wasn't bad. Madam Varentia was always a regular at the host bar, and she came to awaken maternal love despite not having given birth to children. If the lieutenant commander returns, their marital relationship will probably become much better.
Her obsession with Hughes... time will solve. Probably.
Letting out a sigh, Peto fell into reminiscence and muttered.
"Still, it's much better for this to end in, at worst, an affair. In the old days when knights ran rampant... Ugh. Let's not talk about it."
Hughes answered as if he had suddenly remembered.
"Ah. Come to think of it, didn't you say you were a former Miteong?"
"Aaaagh! Watch your mouth! Just recalling that time gives me goosebumps!"
During the Kingdom era, the marriages of knights were a kind of contract.
Even if their descendants grew weaker because one's own martial prowess was strong, it was nothing short of a blood pact to protect each other with all their might.
Therefore, each other's purity and a clean line of succession were essential. Naturally, it wasn't kept worth a damn, but at least on the surface, it had to appear that way.
Perhaps that was why. At some point, knights began to carry around Miteong.
"Wow. To think the senior who was a Miteong back then has come to this. Time is truly terrifying."
"Just say one more word!"
Hughes sneered at the former Miteong. Peto shuddered.
"They call it Miteong, but in reality...! Ugh. If the country hadn't been overthrown, I don't know what would have happened. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps!"
During the Kingdom era, Peto was a squire of commoner origin.
A commoner-born squire? It was a squire in name only; its essence was no different from a slave attending to a knight. An emotional trash can that was the first to die when the master got drunk and started swinging a sword.
Amidst all that, Peto, who was particularly outstanding in beauty, was soon to be changed from a squire to a Miteong.
If there hadn't been a coup d'état, that is.
"Long live the Military Nation...! I will be loyal forever!"
Suddenly overwhelmed with loyalty, Peto saluted the Military Nation's flag, then clenched his fists again and looked at Hughes.
"Don't try to guess the other person's limits and stick to your own boundaries. What do you know that you keep trying to accommodate the other person? You're neither a prophet nor a mind reader."
At this point, Hughes' smile deepened. Peto took it as a reaction to his joke and continued speaking.
"That worked for Madam Varentia, but you can't do that with other madams. They might become overly obsessed with you."
"Isn't that a good thing? It seems like I'd receive a lot of gifts, too."
"If the cold touch of a blade piercing through your body is also a gift, then you'll receive more than enough."
"Is that a story from your Miteong days?"
"Gasp."
Shuddering, Peto distorted his face viciously and glared at Hughes. Hughes was just smiling cheerfully with an expression full of confidence and mischief.
He would probably only come to his senses if he got a real beating, but the problem was that he might end up dead before he ever came to his senses. The other party had the talent for it. Peto shook his head.
"This won't do. You're going to be put in charge of watching the kids for the time being."
"What? Are you demoting me out of personal feelings?"
"Yes. If you don't like it, you be the senior."
Peto crushed him with his seniority.
They left the side room and entered the reception hall, which had a long bar and small tables. Young men dressed in the most ornate and flashy of uniforms were wearing attractive smiles and entertaining the guests who visited.
It was a scene that looked like it belonged in a host bar, no matter who saw it.
In the meantime, another host... public welfare soldier, who had been struggling on his own, saw them come out and brightened up.
"Peto! Hughes! Good timing. Help me out with this kid!"
"The person in charge should entertain them, why are you passing them off?"
Peto was about to stride over when he suddenly recalled something and gestured with his chin toward Hughes. Hughes nodded and stepped in front of the girl to entertain her.
She was a girl with blue hair, wearing luxurious clothes. The tiny girl, who looked to be of an age where she hadn't even graduated from the Middle Citizen School yet, faced Hughes boldly.
"What brings you here, little lady?"
When Hughes asked, the girl answered.
"I came because I heard I could get help here."
Hughes didn't ask any more. Instead, he only read the girl's expression with a strange face. The girl faced Hughes without changing her complexion one bit.
As the silent standoff continued, Peto, growing anxious, tapped Hughes with his knee.
"Hey, Hughes. I know you're in a difficult spot, but what are you going to do just staring at her..."
Still, Hughes didn't move. Eventually, instead of the unmoving Hughes, Peto asked the girl.
"Little girl. What's your name?"
The girl whipped her head around. Her clear voice echoed throughout the reception hall.
"I am Sephier Bakiya!"
"Sephier Bakiya?"
A few people reacted to that name. The surname Bakiya was one of the few famous ones even in the Military Nation, where inheritance had been abolished.
"Bakiya, as in Cheon-uimubong?"
"Yes! The 2nd Generation Cheon-uimubong, Dampir Bakiya, is my grandmother!"
Peto let out a groan.
Bakiya.
The patron of soldiers and their closest friend. The richest person in the Military Nation.
Although still young, she was the heir who would soon inherit Cheon-uimubong. That alone made her a considerable VIP.
He had met many children and many VIPs, but Peto, who had never met a young VIP before, wore a troubled expression. The fact that he continued to speak was entirely thanks to his thorough professional spirit.
"Welcome, Bakiya. What kind of help do you need?"
The girl shouted in a clear voice, loud enough for everyone here to hear.
"Please make me the company's heir!"