MBD | Chapter 30

Karl Heinrich’s hand dangerously brushed between Everhart’s legs. He looked up at Everhart’s anxious face as if he were enjoying the view.

Everhart, reflexively reaching out to block Karl Heinrich, tried to steady his rising breath and looked down at him as fiercely as he could.

“If you want me to hold you, that is?”

“You cried all night because you liked it.”

“When are you talking about!”

That was at least three years ago, back when he was a green officer cadet and even Karl Heinrich’s junior.

Lieutenant Everhart was no longer a boy but a grown man.

“Why? Does it hurt your pride? If you’re really worried, why don’t we take off our ranks and go at it-!”

Everhart’s arms shot up, and his wrists were pinned. He tried to resist, but for some reason, he couldn’t budge.

Karl Heinrich, who had moved higher, now looked down at Everhart.

“Don’t you think I let you off easy that night?”

Everhart knew exactly what night Karl Heinrich was referring to. As soon as he spoke, the memory vividly resurfaced in his mind as if it had happened yesterday.

‘Wait, wait. You call that letting me off easy? I almost died back then!’

Everhart had been tormented until nearly dawn. Even if it was because of the drugs, Karl Heinrich had been sober at the time.

After parting ways with Karl Heinrich, Everhart had nearly died trying to suppress the sensation of his lower body being paralyzed while talking to Graf.

In the end, Everhart decided to take drastic measures. Namely, pulling rank.

“I-I’m your superior and a lieutenant!”

“If it’s serving your superior as a subordinate, there’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

What kind of nonsense is that? Serving, my foot, when you’re not even giving anything in return!

Everhart felt like he was going to throw up from trying to spin his already non-functioning brain.

Karl Heinrich pressed closer, and something touched between his thighs.

“Get off, you crazy bastard! Why are you suddenly in heat!”

Everhart had momentarily overlooked the fact that as much as he had grown into an adult, Karl Heinrich had also become closer to his original character.

No matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t move an inch.

Realizing that nothing was working, Everhart groaned in frustration. Karl Heinrich removed his hand from Everhart’s arms and stood up.

“Well, I don’t have a taste for forcing myself on someone.”

As Karl Heinrich stood up, Everhart immediately felt relieved. He sat back down and brought a cigar to his lips.

Watching Karl Heinrich exhale smoke, Everhart felt a sense of futility.

“If you ask me to hold you, that’s a different story.”

Everhart trembled like a fish just pulled out of water at Karl Heinrich’s casual return to informal speech.

“Th-that’s never going to happen! Are you crazy!”

If anything, Everhart was sure he would never be the one to say such things to Karl Heinrich.

“Getting excited just from a little touch.”

“That’s because, as a human… as a man, that’s normal!”

Everhart raised his voice, covering his legs with both hands. At his age, it was natural to get aroused, especially when someone else initiated it.

Annoyed, Everhart grabbed Karl Heinrich’s half-finished whiskey and downed it, slamming the bottle down with a loud bang.

“Hope you get erectile dysfunction, you unlucky bastard!”

What kind of curse is that? Karl Heinrich shook his head.

It seemed that his momentary agitation was just his imagination. Burying the strange feeling he had from Everhart’s smiling face, Karl Heinrich turned his head away, ignoring Everhart.

‘Strange guy.’

࿐⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆

The snow melted, and the weather warmed up. Fresh green sprouts began to peek through the damp soil.

Spring had arrived. With spring, many things change or transform.

For example─

“Second Lieutenant Weber Schmidt, newly commissioned! Reporting for duty! For Eisenwald! Loyalty!”

“Loyalty. At ease.”

Weber Schmidt lowered his arm and looked at Everhart with a tense expression.

Everhart placed a hand on his shoulder and chuckled.

“Relax, how have you been? You rascal.”

“Sunbae-nim!”

“When were you all tense, and now you’re calling me ‘sunbae-nim’? Is that how you talk to a superior?”

“No, sir! But…”

“But what?”

“Are you really my sunbae?”

Weber’s eyes narrowed. When Everhart avoided his gaze, Weber spoke with certainty.

“I was supposed to go to Leigenburz! How did my assignment change overnight? To Graupfeld, of all places!”

“Hey! How would I know about the higher-ups’ decisions?”

Yeah, sorry.

Actually, I did put in a word with Colonel Erik. I said there was a friend I wanted to bring from the academy.

But you, you’d get bullied if you stayed there.

Just because he was Kang Woojin didn’t mean Everhart knew everything. The protagonist of “I Reincarnated as a Trash Soldier in Another World” was from Bronia, and the content about Eisenwald was limited to brief descriptions or explanations when Karl Heinrich appeared.

Everhart had to recall events related to himself or things he could use based on those.

‘The reason Weber Schmidt quits the military and returns to management.’

In Eisenwald, which was still a society of nobles and military cliques, giving up on being a soldier was akin to giving up on success.

Weber Schmidt had once told Karl Heinrich about being bullied in Leigenburz.

The military unit in Leigenburz, near Feldheim, was known for being conservative and noble-centric.

‘Those guys later grovel to Weber after the emperor falls.’

Weber, who was thriving as a businessman, reportedly got his revenge on them. But who knows.

Can the scars from childhood bullying ever truly heal, even as one grows older?

Weber Schmidt and Everhart were, at best, still young men in their twenties.

“It’s not the higher-ups’ decision; it’s your decision, sunbae-nim.”

“Does it make sense for a lieutenant to exercise personnel authority?”

“You’re one of the Five Great Nobles.”

“Are the Five Great Nobles gods or something!”

“But you do have enough influence to ask Colonel Reichenbach for a favor. Sunbae-nim, I heard you were flying around in Graupfeld.”

“Why are those rumors spreading?”

More importantly, who was spreading them? There was no Wolfgang here, so he couldn’t figure out who was spreading such rumors.

Everhart personally guided Weber around Fortress Feldburg.

The mess hall, which started in a warehouse, had been transformed into a proper dining facility with Colonel Erik’s help.

After the efficiency of Everhart’s company was proven, other company commanders continuously suggested reorganizing the platoons, eventually leading to the current structure.

“A mess hall? So the unit is deployed without cooks?”

“Why would you need cooks during an operation?”

“What about meals?”

“You can eat combat rations.”

He had ordered the creation of simple combat rations, and most of the cooks ate them.

‘Once the civil war ends, I should monopolize this.’

He had already instructed Graf to establish EberFood. Soon, freezing technology using non-linear magic stones would develop, making it much easier to produce instant or preserved food.

‘Spam!’

And he had ordered the development of Spam, the flower of combat rations. While Spam is a premium food item on Korean holiday tables, during World War II, it was a representative military supply ration.

They distributed so much of it that the term “spam mail” was coined.

After touring all of Fortress Feldburg, Weber shared his impressions.

“It’s quite different from what I imagined.”

“How so?”

“Fortress Feldburg is at the front line. It’s not exactly the border, but…”

If you asked where the most battles were happening in Eisenwald right now, it would undoubtedly be Graupfeld.

“I thought a fortress at the front line would be gloomy and dreary.”

“People live here too. How can you always live like that? Well, there are frequent funerals.”

Before coming to Fortress Feldburg, Everhart hadn’t been particularly religious. But after conducting military funerals, he naturally found himself visiting the chapel more often.

“Sunbae, you’ve become more soldier-like.”

“You still look like a rookie who just got commissioned.”

“That’s harsh!”

“Oh, how’s my brother doing?”

Everhart stepped outside for some fresh air. Thanks to pushing the front line back a bit, Fortress Feldburg was no longer at the very front where shells could fall at any moment.

“Sunbae-nim. No, Lieutenant.”

“Hmm?”

“I think it’s a rude question, but can I ask it?”

“Probably? But why is asking about my brother a rude question?”

“Because your brother is a bastard.”

“Oh, he said he’s doing well.”

Maybe because he was a younger brother, he didn’t exchange letters as frequently as with Elizabeth, but he did receive letters from time to time.

Usually, half of the letter was complaints about Weber working him hard, the other half was scolding him for being in a place like Graupfeld, and the remaining half was whining about the academy food being tasteless.

“He’s doing well. Too well, actually, which is the problem.”

“What?”

“You didn’t tell him, did you?”

“Tell him what?”

“About the incident where he got caught two-timing during vacation, and his girlfriend came to the academy to slap him.”