As I was returning to my tent, I ran into Arowa. He’d also ended up getting drafted into the army. He didn’t recognize me, and I couldn’t blame him for that, but I wish he had spared me the wheedling “Excuse me, but who might you be, sir?”
It was obvious why he hadn’t figured it out right away—I was sporting new apparel. Well, that and the fact that my hair was tied back with a white ribbon.
Leto had given me the new clothes, saying that it was okay for me to wear them, given my station as a platoon leader. The pieces were actually part of the uniform meant for regular soldiers. He could probably tell I hadn’t gone shopping for a change of clothes yet.
At first, I had refused to accept his gift; the garments were just too fine for me. But Leto had insisted, telling me to reconsider on the basis that I ought to dress as befitting my position. I had ended up putting them on right then and there.
The ribbon tying my hair back was also from Leto. He had given it to me after the barber had finished trimming my damaged split ends. Since both men and women customarily wore their hair long in this world, I did so as well. It reached the middle of my back, stopping just above my waist.
I didn’t wear it this way to be trendy or anything—I simply preferred it long for practical reasons. Having hair around my ears and neck helped keep the bite of winter’s chill at bay. Besides, it was easy enough to tie it back with a cord during warmer seasons.
I had the feeling that the ribbon I was using in place of a cord was a little too eye-catching, and Arowa’s reaction told me I was right. It was a pure-white silk ribbon, bereft of any blemishes.
This was far too fancy for a peasant, Leto. But since it was a gift, I hadn’t had much of a choice. I had to wear it.
When I silently grimaced at Arowa instead of replying to his question, he finally realized who I was. “Oh, it’s you, Kariya. Right, I guess that is what your face looks like.”
He laughed awkwardly, explaining that he couldn’t recognize me right away without my beard.
Oh, so it wasn’t the ribbon that made him think I was a stranger—it was my clean-shaven face.
“I thought you were some noble,” he admitted. “What happened to your beard? I thought you liked it.”
“I’ve been wanting to shave for ages, but I just couldn’t. Do you remember that time I asked you to sharpen a small knife for me? You said there was no saving it, so you melted it down to fix a pot. Well, that knife was the family shaver, even back when my grandpa was our age,” I huffed.
Arowa shrugged unaffectedly. “You know they would sell razors at the village down the mountain, right?” But, realizing his faux pas, he immediately apologized. “Sorry.”
Right—the village that my fiancée had never returned to. Even though it was the nearest village to our settlement, I no longer had a reason to visit after she’d left. He was well aware of that fact.
I spoke again to clear the awkwardness from the air. “Well, eventually I stopped caring about shaving, so I let it grow out. And that’s how I ended up with a beard.”
“You know what? Yeah. I can definitely see you doing that.” Suddenly, his face hardened into a terse grimace. It was unsettling, given he was usually relaxed and in good cheer.
After that, he silently beckoned me to follow him. When we neared the center of the sea of tents, we sat cross-legged on the ground, facing each other.
Ruicerl was a duty station where soldiers were kept on standby, so we usually slept in sleeping bags in our tents. But since we were moving out tomorrow, I supposed that tonight we’d just be sleeping in a huddle on the ground with blankets instead.
I’d heard that wars were conventionally waged in the winter, after the harvest. Right now, fall was on its way out. It was a shame, since I’d been hoping I wouldn’t have to deal with the cold. At least the plains seemed significantly easier to survive in than in the depths of Gaelius, so I doubted I’d freeze to death. Probably.
Still... Sleeping with other people, huh?
Musing on the idea, I tugged on the end of the white ribbon in my hair. “I bet this’ll get dirty right away since it’s white. I can’t be getting a gift mucked up, huh? Guess I’ll have to be careful.”
Arowa didn’t say anything for a long moment, but eventually, he responded. “Listen, I know this might be kind of rude of me to ask, but you got those threads from that lordling who’s been chatting you up lately, right? Are you sleeping with him?”
“Excuse me?” That had taken me off guard. I stared at him, perplexed.
Considering the veil of awkwardness that settled over Arowa, he must’ve meant that kind of “sleeping.”
“No,” I denied it flatly. “Leto’s a guy.”
Arowa wasn’t deterred. “That’s exactly why I’m asking. I’ve been a married man for a while now, so I haven’t gotten propositioned, but you’ve had secret nighttime trysts and stuff yourself, haven’t you?” he asked. But then, he must’ve realized the ridiculousness of his comment because he immediately corrected himself. “I guess not, though. Your house was so far away. Trying to get there at night would practically be asking to die.”
“Exactly.” I shrugged. “I can’t say I would’ve recommended that anyone try to visit me at night back home. It’d be easy to get lost in the darkness, and even if you didn’t fall to your death somewhere along the way, the roaming monsters would get you.”
As I answered him, I got the feeling that I knew what my old friend was trying to tell me. I thought midnight house calls were a courtship ritual mainly between men and women, with the former looking for a bride, but I guess it happened between men in this world as well.
Given Arowa’s concerns, I could guess that people thought that I’d gotten my assignment and my new clothes by selling myself to a nobleman. On top of that, it sounded like people also assumed I had been sleeping with other guys back in the village.
I bit my lip. “Just how exactly did you see me up until now?”
“Don’t be mad,” Arowa began apologetically. “Let’s just forget about what I said. Now that I think about it, you were always sporting that beard of yours. It’s been ages since I’ve seen your face so clearly, so I guess my imagination just ran wild. Sorry.”
He gazed at me solemnly as he apologized, and his expression remained somber. “I only brought it up because I know exactly how ignorant the other villagers and I were. We don’t know anything about the big, wide world. And I’m worried that you’re even worse off than us, considering how much you stayed shut in your house. So listen, okay? Don’t go walking around at night on your own from now on, or you might find yourself pinned under someone bigger and stronger.”
I didn’t know what to make of his warning. “Are there no brothels near the camp?” I asked.
“Don’t be stupid,” he said. “There are guys who figure they can just beat someone till they’re willing if they get turned down, you know. Those types aren’t gonna want to pay for sex. We’re heading into a battlefield—emotions’ll be running high, people are gonna wanna get off, and at the end of the day, a hole’s a hole. Some guys might not have gotten it up with the beard, but now that that’s gone...” Arowa trailed off, looking for the right words. “Anyway, if someone propositions you, just drop your lordling’s name and get out of there.”
Arowa’s suggestion made me reflect on what Leto had said when he had given me the ribbon. “He told me that if anyone tried to pick a fight with me over the ribbon, I could get them to stand down by using his name, Sir Leto Brattor. I was surprised—he’s our liege lord’s nephew.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he mentioned that to help keep people off your back. Well, that’s great that you’ve got a nobleman willing to be your shield. No one’ll go after you if they know that.” Then, he paused. “But if Leto himself comes for you, I doubt that excuse will do any good.”
“Man...” I sighed. Now, I was fearing for my ass before I’d even gotten the chance to fear for my life on the battlefield.
I could just run away if Leto called on me...or maybe not. After all, the punishment for desertion was death.
Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place...