The militia man soon brought them inside one of the familiar carriages they had used an hour ago when they were transported to and out of the Blood Baptism.
In fact Howl realized that it was actually the exact same carriage because of the smell of blood that lingered inside of it and a few bloody stains that were here and there, looking at those stains he started to wonder how the other orphans would live from now on and whether or not he would ever see them again, but soon enough he erased that thought, thinking that he was being stupid and that there was nothing he could do even if he started to worry.
Now that they had become adults they would all go their separate ways, even the few friends he thought he had didn’t say goodbye to him and simply let him go like that, watching him from a distance, but Howl wasn’t angry or dissatisfied since he didn’t make an effort to tell them goodbye either with the difficult feelings he felt at the time.
He also understood what was going through their minds and how immensely traumatizing the experience they went through really was, if anybody it was Howl who was strange for worrying about others when he just experienced the same situation, even though he should have been just as shaken and stressed as them Howl didn’t feel too bad after sorting his mind for a bit, the initial confrontation was scary but he got quickly used to it mid battle which could be considered one of his talents.
Feeling the rattling and shaking as the carriage started to move the 4 kids quietly sat in their own seats as they slowly got transported towards the militia base which was located outside the walls of the town.
Ever since getting into the carriage nobody had even spoken a single word, the atmosphere within the carriage had also turned into a grim and cold air as if they were being send to a execution ground, it seemed as if it was only now that reality was starting to sink into everybody’s mind now that they had time to sort their heads a little bit for the past hour.
It wasn’t until they started to get close to the town gate that one of them couldn’t take the silence any longer and opened his mouth in a nervous manner.
-W-what do you think will happen now ? I know that we’re going to the Garrison, but what will we do when we get there ?
George the chore boy asked all of a sudden, his voice shaking.
Within the quiet confines of the carriage he was the first to show his fear for the upcoming events that were about to unfold.
Looking around nobody knew what they should tell him that he already didn’t know since everybody had pretty much the same info about the situation as him, the only thing they could do was give him a nervous shrug or a slow head shake to indicate they didn’t know, in either case it was clear that everybody felt the same as him, lost and afraid.
Even Howl wasn’t excluded from this, even though he didn’t look it, internally he was very apprehensive about what they would exactly do inside the militia, but since the militia representative said that they would train them for the next 6 months and not immediately send them into the battlefield to become cannon fodder, he wasn’t too disturbed since 6 months was still a long time where a lot of things could change.
As long as Howl was capable of gaining strength in that 6 month period he was sure that he would be fine, he trusted the militia after all, the militia who had protected everyone in this town all this time, even though they had forced him into the Blood Baptism where he lost a dear friend he still understand the reason and purpose behind in even if he couldn’t completely accept it.
In the end it wasn’t the fault of the militia Biro had died, it was the fault of Biro who was weak, the fault of the world for being so merciless to its inhabitants that forced the inhabitants to take drastic measures.
The only thing Howl could do now was to accept everything that came along with a tough front or vehemently reject the flow of this world.
But since Howl was too weak to resist, he could only accept, which is why he steeled himself in body and mind, to one day be strong enough to resist this world with his own two hands.
-George why did you decide to join the militia ?
Ashley asked, temporarily casting away the silence within the carriage as it started to reach the gate, everyone else also focused their attention towards this conversation since the topic was something related to all of them and not just George alone as they were all here for one reason or another.
Suddenly getting asked such question by the only girl in the carriage nonetheless, George became a bit startled but quickly got his act back together before replying in a mild but honest manner.
-Well, they said that you only need to serve 5 years in the militia right ? Instead of spending 20 years as a slave to the town I figured that I could cut down the time to 5 by serving in the militia, but thinking about it, I really did something stupid, since I wasn’t right in the head at the time and still a bit shaken from the earlier ordeal I guess I didn’t think straight when I signed, even after the representative told us that it will be dangerous and far more worse then the things we experienced earlier..gosh…why did I even join..
George mumbled suddenly turning gloomy as he held his head in a anxious manner, the other 3 could to some degree understand George’s reasoning and why he did it, but at the same time they couldn’t help but also feel that George was a bit too muddle headed even if he was still young and not fully grown.
In this world humans matured and grew at a very quick rate, if on earth the average age in which humans became fully grown was between 16 to 18 then in this world its 12 to 14. On top of that, females aren’t physically inferior in this world compared to males and are just as powerful as males, sometimes even surpassing the males causing human society to be slightly more female dominant then male dominant.
Of course concepts such as femininity and masculinity still existed but they weren’t imposed on one specific gender and were more acceptably used on both genders depending on the situation.
George anguished for what he did in the heat of the moment coupled with his blond hair, green eyes, smooth white skin and 110 cm height body statue made him look quite feminine as he was also on the good looking side, even Ashley who didn’t interact with a lot of the boys in the orphanage felt her protective urges fluttering within just by looking at him, but nevertheless she simply smiled awkwardly before switching her gaze away towards Fang who just like everyone else looked a bit worried but stable.
Fang had a fair and average body, approximately 130 cms tall he didn’t look all remarkable with his black hair and brown eyes, his skin was coarse and his hands were rough and scarred from constant usage inside the kitchen where he served as a cook.
Seeing Ashley’s inquiring gaze Fang immediately knew what she wanted from him and simply sighed before telling them the reason why he decided to join the militia.
-Both my mother and father used to be a part of the militia, at least that was before they died on duty and I became a orphan, originally I was also planning on becoming a militia man to join them back then, but after I became a orphan I didn’t know what to do anymore and temporarily forgot about joining the militia since it invoked bad feelings, it was only after what happened today in the Blood Baptism and seeing that I could become a part of the militia for 5 years I decided to pursue the same path as my parents did, though honestly I can’t quite say I am still resolved about all of this.
Finishing on a low note, he didn’t seem to be interested to continue talking any longer, instead he looked like he was remembering things from the past, maybe at a time where his parents were still alive and well, something the other 3 couldn’t understand really since none of them had ever met their parents before.
Next was Ashley’s turn, clearing her throat in a polite manner she swiftly put on a confident smile as she proudly spoke of her reason for joining the militia.
-You see In my opinion getting to join the militia is a opportunity ! I always dreamed of becoming a official when I grew up which is why I always studied, but who knew something like this would happen ? Luckily things are still fine since the military is connected with the local government, if I just make enough contributions and raise my military rank I can easily file for a transfer and become a government official that way instead ! Even though this wasn’t originally how I planned it to go I still think things went well since now I didn’t have to waste 20 years doing nothing and can still actively work towards my goal !
Both George and Fang seemed a bit amazed by Ashley’s sudden enthusiasm as she spoke about her goal or dream in fact, they also couldn’t help but admire her since she also already knew what she wanted to do which is why she wasn’t as hesitant about her decision like they were and could actively work towards her goal.
Finally it was Howls Turn, Howl was arguably the most interesting from the bunch as he was the first to sign the waver without even looking at it, the kids the kids felt curious about his reasoning, on top of that Howl had that special air about him that made him very imposing, he was also very quiet and stoic and only ever talked when he was talked to first which made him look quite brooding.
Howl himself had always been like that, its not that he had trouble talking it was just that he rarely talked with anybody if he wasn’t interested first or already knew that person, Biro his late friend usually talked a lot and was very conversational since he was an artist who needed to be both very coherent and understandable if he wanted to put his idea across onto his drawings.
Listening to Biro everyday taught Howl a lot about how to speak, but it still didn’t make him change his attitude when it came to conversations as he wasn’t a natural at it like Biro or Ashley.
Fortunately Howl wasn’t incapable of reading the mood, he also cleared his throat before looking at everybody and simply telling them the truth.
-I want to be strong, I want to be so strong that I never have to feel like I did back in the Blood Baptism, I want to be strong to protect those who are important to me, I want to kill those Demons and if only the strong are allowed to do as they please then I want to be strong, the reason I joined the militia is because I thought the militia would be the quickest way to strength and that’s all there is to it.
-…
A brief silence enveloped the carriage once again, the shaking and rattling momentarily coming to a stop too as the carriage clearly had stopped right in front of the town gate with militia man on the carriage conversing with another militia man regarding their reason for leaving the town.
Normally this would be where everybody would get a bit more serious and maybe a bit more afraid since they were about to leave the town which was considered their safe haven, but for this and this moment only they all considered the things Howl had just said in their minds, they couldn’t help but self reflect about Howls reason and obsession with strength after all nobody here even thought about becoming strong at all, the most they thought about was how to survive these next 5 years and quickly retire back into the town after serving their time.
How could they not after all ? Against those Demons, Devils and Angels ? It was laughable really, what could they as puny humans even do ? Not too long ago they had struggled and barely survived against the lowest of the low in regards to Demons, what would have happened if they even fought a ordinary Demon ? Massacre? Annihilation ? Or maybe even worse…just thinking about how brutal those Demons were eating and torturing them even amidst the chaotic battle showing their ecstatic faces as they were ripping the still conscious children apart limb by limb.
It was already amazing that the militia man could defend the town against those monsters but even then it wasn’t really surprising to the children since the militia man from long ago felt simply more different then any ordinary human they knew, making them subconsciously regard them as something beyond their human capacity.
And it wasn’t only them who thought so, whenever the militia man interacted with the caretakers, the caretakers would also unconsciously mind this difference with the way they spoke and acted, it could be that their status’s were just different but no, there was something even beyond that like the fear of standing in front of a ferocious beast, even though it had been tamed, a beast was still a beast, nobody in the right mind would do anything to provoke it and risk getting bitten.
Nobody ever pointed it out though since for the most part everyone had gotten used to it already with the way their lives went, but deep in their minds they knew, for that kind of power, these militia man must have given up something that didn’t make them human anymore, the 3 weren’t sure whether or not that something that bestowed power was really worth the price, but they knew that Howl would likely sacrifice anything even his humanity for that kind of strength.
-Hey kids ! We are soon going to arrive at the Garrison, be sharp and ready since today is going to be a long day haha !
The militia man said, his laughter quite ominous as they finally left the town crossing the huge gate.
A Place Of Legends 