THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

"How can I not care?" The soldier who asked me that has a rather hateful look in his eyes. 

"Calm down, man." 

"I am calm. It's just that I don't understand how he cannot care about what is happening to his motherland."

His teammates try to talk it out with him but he is adamant on having this conversation with me. Let's talk then.

"Why should I be concerned about it?" 

"Because you are titanie." 

"And what…No, let's just leave it at that." I don't want to argue about this.. I have heard people saying that more than once and it is getting annoying. 

The next day, the guy died. Was it my bad luck that went to him? Or something else? Well, it doesn't matter anyway now since he is dead.

As we are coming back to the camp, the last ray of the sun and a volley of soldiers are covering us. His teammates are dejected. From what I heard in their minds, it seems the guy had a wife and a boy waiting for him. Well, they don't need to wait anymore, I guess. 

"We must avenge him." 

"We will, sir." 

Stephan motivates his group and they all answer with a small but resolved voice. I appreciate that but don't go and all kill yourself pointlessly. 

"Once this war ends, let's all go to Cecil's tavern and drink until we are almost dead." 

"Come on, sir, you always say that then you end up being the only one still standing." 

"Ahahaha! Well, what can I say? I have a strong liver!" What does your liver have to do with drinking? 

"Are you sure about that?" 

There is one subject that shouldn't be engaged after a hard day of fighting when Willhem is around: drinking. With the synchronization of a predator, Willhem brought out a jar of wine as soon as Stephan finished speaking. Was he waiting for this the whole time? Ever since we started conquering Titan, he didn't touch any alcohol. 

"Ohhh…You would provoke me with a wine made in my kingdom? Are yu really that bold? Or just foolish?" 

Answering his provocation, Stephan smiles like the devil while taking the jar and pouring himself a glass. Then right before the mug touches his lips, he looks at Willhem from the corner of his eyes. 

"May we meet again to drink." Willhem tells him something at which Stephan drinks his whole glass in one go, raising his mug to the point that it looks upward. 

"Puah!! That hits the spot!" Stephan is already red as the wine itself. This guy can drink until morning? "I didn't know you knew of our traditions! Are you also from-"

"I am not. I just knew somebody who lived there." Was it one of the mercenaries? I don't ever remember any of them saying something like this though.

Without a care for the world, they start drinking like tomorrow doesn't exist and I start sleeping as the one who will have to do everything the next morning.

***

"Urgh…"

"Hic! Hey, you can just give up, you know?"

"Not when I can still drink a whole barrel." 

Like I said just yesterday, I am going to do everything today. All of them are dead drunk and nobody is moving as much as a finger. Except of course the two guys who are responsible for all this. They are still sitting with more than four jars standing between the two. 

"I don't even want to say anything. Let's go, K'nor."

"Woof!" 

I leave them to their drinking and go to the rally point right outside the camp. The commander is already there. The group of soldiers is already formed and when they see me standing with only K'nor at the place that was apparently for my group, most of them show me owls' eyes. Keltia and her group are here as well, next to me. She doesn't even bother looking at me though and stays focused on the commander.

"Ahem…Anyway, As I said, our goal starting today and for the next three days will be to ensure that the mortars get in range of the city's dome. Therefore, starting with you guys, there won't be any more clean-up missions or anything of the sort. You must only hold and push the line deeper towards the dome. Do you all understand?" 

"Yes, sir!" 

"Can you do it?!"

"Yes sir!!" 

"And why is that?!" 

"Because we are the eternal army, sir!!" 

"Then go and do it!!" 

"Yes, sir!" 

Right after that, the horn resounds. It is a man who is blowing it, a large horn the size of a man. As he does, we all start moving forward and reach the groups that were fighting. 

"They have arrived!! Retreat!" 

"Kriekk!!" 

I immediately engage the Longinus to free some space for a group of soldiers that seemed busy with three prators all to themselves. Though they didn't look too pressured, they immediately started retreating when they saw our faces. 

Keltia's group is right next to me and we engage the Longinus at the same time. No, let me rectify that, we engage at the same time. Germinia once again 'attacks me by mistake', and of course she doesn't apologize as a Longinus is hit instead since he had the nice idea of jumping right between us. 

"Sigh…"

"Kriek!" 

The sloin that was hit doesn't die from Germinia's whip sword but from my bullet. In the meantime, a dall is already pouncing on her, though he is intercepted by Keltia who pierces right through its mouth with her spear. She immediately continues pushing forward when the dall starts turning to ashes. 

"Stay focused!!" Yeah, you tell her, Kel. Germinia is utterly obsessed with killing me. 

"I am." She answers her while looking at me. 

"No, you are not." You are clearly not. 

I move forward as well and we soon reach the main lines. There aren't as many Longinus compared to when the first dome was still up. Maybe this will not take as long as I thought after all.