IBAOAWIJM 02

Episode 2

“By His Majesty’s decree, in accordance with noblesse Oblige, each noble house is to send one successor to enlist.”

That was the Emperor’s order, delivered by my father immediately upon his return, after summoning the three sons of the house to his study. It was none other than forced conscription, something commonly seen in Korea.

“Then, we could adopt a son and send him. Wouldn’t that work?”

As expected, my eldest brother. Rude and dismissive of me, but clever. His cunning shone through once again.

“Normally, we would. But this time, His Majesty has declared he will personally oversee the matter. If we try any tricks, we’ll be torn to shreds.”
“What? Why would he go that far?”

The hand of Thames, now the primary successor of this house, began to tremble.

“How could I possibly know His Majesty’s mind? If I were to hazard a guess, it might be to enforce discipline under the pretext of noblesse Oblige.”
“Then… that means…”
“It’s not all bad. Simply participating in this war will undoubtedly become a significant political asset for you when you become family head in the future.”

Broad looked Thames squarely in the eyes. To any observer, the conscription target was decided, with no room for escape. I couldn’t help the corner of my mouth from twitching upward.

‘Alright, brother. Have a safe trip.’

When I first heard the news, I thought the youngest—me—would have to go. Thankfully, it was just an unfounded fear.

‘Me? I already did 21 months of running around. I can’t go again.’

If human rights existed, this should never happen.

“I… I don’t want to go.”

Thames took a step back, shaking his head.

“It is a duty you must fulfill to inherit the family. This is not something you can refuse.”
“Then send the second or… the third son. There’s no explicit order that says you must send the inheritor.”

‘Whoa! Who’s trying to pass the buck now?’

I know from trying to deny reality myself.
The military is not something you can avoid.

‘Well, celebrities sometimes get out by citing depression, but anyway…’

That’s an exceptional case, but it’s clear my eldest brother is currently in the denial phase.

“Do you think His Majesty would look favorably upon someone else inheriting the family while the one who went to war is set aside?”

As expected from our father, a graduate of the prestigious Rio Royal Academy—the equivalent of Seoul National University in Korea—his logic was flawless.

‘Bro, just go. I’ve been through it, it’s not that bad.’

It’s shitty.
It makes you want to kill yourself.
Life feels miserable.
But time does pass.
It just passes terrifyingly slowly, and in the process, your spirit is worn down and your body ruined.

“Th…then I renounce my position as the family successor!”

‘W…what did he say?’

Thames’s sudden abdication. As someone who had always coveted the position of family head—so much that everyone could feel it—even I, and our father, stared wide-eyed in shock.

“You fool!!!”

Our father’s roar followed immediately. He shot up from his seat, clearly in a towering rage.

“You would give up the family now because you’re afraid of going to a mere war?!”
“I’d rather lead a small merchant guild and live peacefully than risk my life.”

‘No, you can’t do that. This is a Count’s house. Not even a Baron’s.’

He’s definitely insane.

“Brother…? If not you, then who will inherit?”

Edmon, sensing something was going very wrong, grabbed Thames’s shoulder.

“You’re here, aren’t you? Isn’t that what you’ve always coveted?”
“N…No, that’s…”

Edmon’s voice trembled as his eyes darted around nervously.

“Useless fool. To give up everything because you’re scared of going to war. I am truly disappointed.”
“I’m sorry, Father.”
“Enough. It’s not like you’re the only one. Second son, you will inherit the family.”

The next batter was Edmon. Our father was now directly telling him to inherit the family.

‘Well, the reward is substantial…’

Come back alive, and you’re a Count.
The head of a family that owns the Ocklow Merchant Guild, one of the top ten in the Empire.

‘Please, just say you’ll go.’

No matter how good the reward, it’s war.
The worst gamble, where if you die, you get not a single penny of the guild or the territory.
I have absolutely no intention of spending my hard-earned second life that way.

“N…No. If I go to war, I’ll die. I don’t want to die.”

True to his reputation as the timid second brother.
He shook his head, his hands trembling.

‘Haha, this is driving me crazy.’

Frankly, I expected this.
Second brother is smart, but a coward who can’t even kill a cockroach by himself.

“You brats.”

Had his anger crossed a line?
Our father’s face was the most distorted I’d seen since starting my second life.

“Palan.”
“Y…Yes! Father.”
“These useless older brothers are unnecessary. You will go and inherit the family!”
“Me…?”

I was also preparing to refuse, but the end of his sentence was a period, not a question mark.
In other words, a notification.
I had no choice.

“F…Father, someone like me would only tarnish the family’s reputation.”

I resisted desperately, trying to escape this absurd situation.
But Broad, having already made up his mind, was immovable.

“Enough. You are far better than these two useless ones.”

‘No, what do you mean better? I don’t want to go either, dammit!’

Listen to me, you damn father.

“How could I become the successor over my two older brothers…”
“If that bothers you, I’ll strike these two from the family registry.”
“Father!”
“F…Father!”

The two brothers were startled by the bombshell.

“Shut your mouths! Just hearing your voices makes me sick to the point of wanting to throw you out right now.”

The atmosphere was so serious they immediately shut up.

‘No, just go! Why won’t you go?!’

The military was being dragged away for 21 months of forced labor, not even getting paid 100 million won.
If they offered to make you the chairman of a conglomerate, shouldn’t you say, ‘Thank you,’ and go?
These guys are definitely insane.
But then, why don’t you want to go?

‘It’s my second time.’

Do I have to spell it out?

“Brother, I don’t have the capability to inherit the family. You know that.”

Seeing there was no getting through to our father, I changed my strategy to try and change Thames’s mind.
But this brother of mine.
He was a tougher opponent than I thought.

“No. Little brother, you have talent. I’m sure you’ll distinguish yourself in the war, too.”

‘You bastard, you were always bad-mouthing me as a troublemaker.’

If you peeled off that face, a devil would surely be living underneath.

“I’ll support you from afar with supplies. Please.”
“Th…that’s right, Palan. I’ll cheer for you, too.”

Even my second brother placed a hand on my shoulder, pushing me over the cliff.

‘Sons of bitches, those damn bastards.’

There was no answer.
Someone had to go.
Since I couldn’t refuse.
My enlistment, which I wanted to deny, was decided just like that.

“Ah, dammit.”

The curses came as naturally as breathing.
You could say I have a foul mouth, but try being in my situation.
How could curses not come out?

‘Why do I have to go?’

It’s the heir, the one who will inherit the family, who should go.
And I’m the youngest, never once mentioned as a successor.
Isn’t this a situation that defies common sense?

“Young Master… The carriage is ready.”

Aurora’s voice came from outside the door. I could feel her tension was lower than usual.

“I’m coming out. Haha.”

I let out a deep sigh and went down to the first floor, where the entire household had gathered.

“Son, I’m proud of you.”

At the front, greeting me, was our damn father.
Spouting nonsense, he personally loaded my luggage onto the carriage.

“When you return, you will be the young master of this house. So, you must survive.”

Thump! Thump!
Our father patted my shoulder firmly and stepped aside.
Next approached my two brothers, whose faces alone made me want to curse.
Their expressions were slightly different.

“W…well, take care.”

My first brother’s voice sounded somewhat foul-tempered. I knew the exact reason why.

‘At the time, you said you’d give up everything because you didn’t want to go, but thinking about it again, it feels like a waste, right?’

Not that you want to go to war either.
So, deep down, you’re probably hoping I die in the war.

‘I’ll definitely come back alive and kick you out first.’

He acts just like those bastards at the military manpower administration.

“I will surely lead the war to victory and return gloriously.”
“Right.”

Thames stepped away, hiding his rising irritation.
After exchanging goodbyes with my second brother and a few others, it was the turn of the woman approaching last. Sylvia Ocklow, the lady of the house and my mother, hugged me tightly.

“Come back without a single scratch on you.”

My mother’s warm embrace.
Although my mind doesn’t consider her my real mother, the memories of being raised by her hands are clearly in my head.

“Don’t worry. I’ll write.”
“My brave son. When did you grow up so much?”

Tears streamed from my mother’s eyes as we parted.

“I’ll be going now. Stay healthy.”

I bowed at a right angle, said my farewell, and boarded the carriage.

“I’m really going.”

As the carriage started moving and I looked outside, my mother, father, and the household servants were waving.

“Is this the fate that was decided after all?”

That damn message about making me a soldier was, infuriatingly, true.

“Let’s think positively. If I just survive, I become the chairman of a conglomerate.”

There is the risk of death, but looking purely at the reward, it’s thousands of times better compared to Korea.

‘It’s worth a shot at this level.’

I forcibly suppressed the rising feelings of injustice and sorrow, trying to rationalize.

“And since I’m not a soldier but an officer, it probably won’t be that dangerous.”

To briefly explain the path I’ll walk from now: first, I’ll complete a 2-week wartime accelerated training course and be commissioned as a second lieutenant. What happens after is undecided. According to information, placement depends on performance in the training battalion, so for now, that’s the most important thing.

“I absolutely must get good grades and get posted to the rear. Then it’s game over.”

The position where you absolutely don’t die.
From then on, it won’t be the damn military, but a cheerful military life leading to a happy future.

“Let’s do well. You can do it.”

It’s shitty because it’s the second time, but thinking conversely, I can do better because it’s the second time.

‘Sigh, let’s just sleep.’

Nothing kills time and refreshes the mind like sleep, so I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. While I slept, the carriage raced non-stop toward the Adelh Military Training Battalion on the outskirts of the capital.

“Carriages can only enter up to this point. Conscripts must disembark and proceed on foot.”

The carriage was cut off at the entrance. It seemed this was the boundary line to hell.

“Young Master, what will you do?”

The coachman opened the window and asked me.

“What else can I do? Get out and go. You worked hard getting me here.”
“Not at all. I will await the day I see your healthy face again.”
“Alright. Give my regards to Mother.”

Leaving my final words with the coachman, I got out of the carriage with my bag of luggage.

“I need to check your identification tag.”
“Here it is.”

Twitch.
I handed over the identification tag every imperial citizen has. For some reason, the soldier receiving it had a slight tremor in his eyebrow.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

I quickly replayed my actions, but there was nothing I could call a mistake.

“Confirmed. Please follow the yellow line painted on the ground to enter.”
“Understood.”

Putting my identification tag back inside my clothes, I picked up my luggage and stepped into the training battalion.

‘Haa, this mountain air. It’s really shitty.’

The training battalion I was in for 5 weeks was like this too.
Useless phytoncide.
Uselessly clear weather.
It couldn’t be more unpleasant.

“I’m already pissed off just being here, why can’t the carriage enter?! Do you know which family I’m from when you say that?!”

As I was clicking my tongue at the training battalion scenery, a loud shout came from the main gate I had just passed through.

“It’s not permitted by regulations.”
“Can you take responsibility for that statement? Think carefully.”

A fierce standoff.
It was obvious he was venting the stress from enlisting.

‘Others might curse, but I understand, brother. I understand.’

Where is this?
It’s hell.
And boys like me are beings being dragged into hell together.
If you can’t even complain that much, wouldn’t it be too pitiful?