The Soldier and The Novelist

Coffee Before Opening Hours

“In the year 1861 of the Shore era… Hey, Hugh. What exactly happened during the Arnolun Incident?” I glared at the problem set before me and threw the question across the counter.

“The incident refers to a series of terrorist attacks carried out by a radical faction of the former imperial faction in the imperial capital of Arnolun. The event is infamous for being the worst anti-religious event in history, resulting in the deaths of three cardinals and a saint. Specifically, those who were killed were Lord Kovain, Lord Bishas, Lord Glen, and Saint Atarabianca.” He answered smoothly while grinding coffee beans.

As I flipped through the pages to check the answer, I found that he was right. “Wow, you’re amazing. You’re not just a bookworm for nothing.”

I raised my face in admiration, and he looked down at me with a bewildered expression. “That’s a well-known incident twelve years ago. It’s more of a current affairs issue than history.”

“In that case, let’s go back a bit… What happened in the year 1783?”

“Hey, are you serious? You live in this city, don’t you?” Hugh asked in disbelief.

“Huh?” I furrowed my brow and flipped through the answer page again. “Emperor Leone was killed in Ixlaha, and the war for independence ended… Ah, yeah, that’s what I thought. My guess was correct.”

“That’s nothing special. You would have realized that exactly ninety years ago from now.” he sighed.

I chewed on my bitter pill. “Shut up. I’m not good with these era names and numbers.”

“It’s surprising to me that you’re trying to join the Church Knights, given that fact,” he said with a sarcastic smile.

I was used to being ridiculed like this, but I couldn’t help feeling angry.

Before opening, the Green Knight cafe was naturally empty, except for me. The morning light shining through the window created a sunny spot on the floor, and classical music played softly in the shop. It was the perfect environment for diligent studying.

I heard that students often study for exams at the library, but it’s not an option for me since smoking is not allowed there. I always wonder how those students manage to concentrate for such long hours without smoking or drinking coffee.

“However, it’s unexpected,” Hugh expressed his surprise.

“What is it?”

“That Sword is seriously studying from the morning. What brought this change in your mindset?”

“It’s just for the upcoming exam, that’s all.”

“Something must have happened.”

I froze mid-reach for my coffee cup. That was a mistake. I cursed myself inwardly, but it’s too late to take it back now.

“I hit the nail on the head, huh?” Hugh laughed, and I clicked my tongue in annoyance.

“When you want to forget something, you always try to redirect your focus to a different subject. It’s a kind of sublimation,” he said with a knowing smile.

I didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. By immersing myself in studying, a subject I didn’t even like, I was trying to forget about yesterday’s incident. If I didn’t occupy my mind with something else, the feeling of misery and anger would have consumed me.

“Is it related to a woman?” Hugh prodded.

“Who knows.”

Yesterday’s incident did have to do with a woman. But this time, I grabbed my coffee cup without hesitation, trying not to show any emotion. I sipped it calmly.

Seeing me like this, Hugh nodded, “I see. I hit the nail on the head again.”

“You can read my mind or something?!”

He chuckled at my reaction, “You’re really worth teasing.”

“I’ll cut you down if you keep it up.”

“Whoa, I don’t want to fight you. It might take a while.”

I had a small killing intent, but Hugh waved his right hand to dismiss it. He may appear easy-going, but his swordsmanship was on par with, if not better than mine when we were mercenaries. If we fought, neither of us would come out unscathed.

“It’s not often that I see you down because of a woman. You don’t strike me as a delicate person. I wonder if it’s going to snow tomorrow.”

“In an era when even a middle-aged gorilla can run a flower shop, snowing tomorrow would hardly be considered unusual.”

“Hahaha, you’ve got a point there… So, what kind of woman was it that broke your heart so badly?”

It seemed like the cafe owner enjoyed hearing about other people’s personal problems.

“Listen,” I replied sharply. “Don’t get the wrong idea. It wasn’t anything you might assume. Yesterday was more like being hit by a cart horse out of nowhere. Although I still had some resentment, it wasn’t enough to make a fuss over. Besides, I’ll never cross paths with that tourist again.”

“Really? You seem a little annoyed though,” he said, looking amused.

“It’s not that.”

“Then what happened?”

“It’s just that the woman’s bag was stolen, and I ended up playing tag with the thief. And then… I beat him up. He turned out to be a former mercenary.”

As I spoke, my tone became bitter, and Hugh’s smile disappeared quietly. He silently removed the ashtray filled with ash from in front of me and replaced it with a new one before speaking again. “I see. It’s just like the rumors say.”

“Yeah, and it happened at Paul’s store of all places.”

“The one behind the terminal? Hmm… The fact that those guys are turning violent is more troublesome than I thought,” Hugh said, looking down with a serious expression.

While the thief was no expert, there were other ex-mercenaries like us who could match our combat skills. If people with those capabilities chose to become criminals, even the Church Knights would have a hard time suppressing them.

“Well, it’s the responsibility of the Holy See now. It’s amusing.” I laughed ironically

“As a former colleague, it’s not a pleasant story.”

“That’s right,” I replied, looking down at the palm of my right hand. I made a fist and then opened it again. “To be honest, it made me feel worse than I imagined. Well, I guess I went a little too far yesterday.”

I can recall the sensation of my fist connecting with the thief’s face. The impact was so strong that I’m certain I broke at least two or three of his teeth and possibly even shattered his cheekbone. I felt a twinge of regret.

Hugh’s face twisted slightly in a wry expression as he spoke. “But you couldn’t just let him get away with it, could you?”

“I mean, someone who steals from others is clearly a scumbag…” I trailed off.

“It’s your pride.”

I didn’t answer the question, but it seemed that he understood what I was feeling anyway.

Hugh shook his head lightly. “You complained a lot, but you enjoyed being a mercenary, didn’t you?”

“No way. It’s the worst job with little reward, just exhausting.”

“Is that so? To me, it seemed like you were always passionate about your work. Going somewhere far away and protecting someone. Maybe that’s just your nature. That’s why you chose the mercenary profession, which clearly defines your reasons. Am I wrong?”

I didn’t nod, but I didn’t deny it either. I had never consciously thought about it. And when he put it into words, I couldn’t easily shake my head.

“That’s why… Honestly, you’re not cut out to be a church knight.” His serious gaze told me that he wasn’t joking.

I clicked my tongue and looked away. “What’s the point of saying that now? It’s not about whether it suits me or not. Joining the Church Knights is the most realistic choice if you think about the future…”

“Realistic? You’re talking about reality? You?”

His words touched on the core of the matter, and I frowned. There was a momentary silence between us. I searched for the right words to say, and Hugh seemed to hesitate about whether to continue or not. In the end, he broke the silence.

“No, don’t take it the wrong way. As I said earlier, it’s clear that your nature is to protect others and venture to distant lands. That’s probably why you became a mercenary. But to me, it seems like being a mercenary was merely a form of sublimation for you.”

A form of sublimation.

A way to forget something.

“To you, it was a way to atone for something and to flee from reality.'”

My breath stopped for a moment. I raised my head instinctively and glared at him, but Hugh looked straight into my eyes.

For a while, time passed in that state. Beyond the small classical music playing inside the shop, the sounds of the bustling city could be heard: people moving, horses pulling carriages, and the bell calling for customers. They felt as if they were echoing from a distant, different world.

I was the one who turned away first.

“The hell do you know about it?” I said unintentionally. Even I was surprised at how cold my voice was.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have pried. Let’s leave it at that,” said Hugh with a frown. Without saying anything further, he turned his back to me and started doing the dishes behind the counter.

The silence that came back again was more awkward than before. I let out a small breath, closed the reference book I had open, and stood up from my seat. I couldn’t really bring myself to spend time studying for the exam here.

“Sorry for bothering you, Hugh.” When I tried to take out the money for the coffee from my pocket, he stopped me.

“It’s on the house for today.”

“What? Because we’re friends, right?”

“We’re more than that,” he said, smiling a little awkwardly. I let out a sigh.

Suddenly, the door of the shop opened with a loud noise, even though it was still before the opening hours. In response to the unexpected sound, Hugh and I quickly turned our heads in the same direction.

“Yo, sorry to bother you guys,” spoke a thin-framed man with blond hair, whom I recognized. My face twisted in agony. But as expected of the store owner, Hugh smiled pleasantly.

“Hey. Welcome, Gold.”