The Little Prince in the Ossuary

00052

#Journal, page 83, Camp Roberts.

In the end, Jeffrey’s prediction proved to be correct. I was awarded a medal again. Major Bliss, who had come to the press conference, looked as if he was asking, “Him again?” I even felt kind of sorry for him.

The Distinguished Service Medal I received this time was not as valuable as the Order of Merit. Nevertheless, there were more reporters than there had been the first time. Major Bliss had evidently had a hard time controlling them.

Reporters asked me to say a word of encouragement to American citizens. Of course, I had some lines prepared; Major Bliss had already told me the things I should say. I did wonder what that meant, but I did as I was told, even if the lines sounded embarrassing.

“Protect your family and hometown! I’ll help you!”

Keeping a smile on my face was hard work. It was awkward, no matter how much I thought about it, but the reporters said it was good. Their emotions must have been different from ordinary people’s. It was that, or they were crazy because the world was crazy.

An invitation came from the citizen’s residence. For those who were bored and anxious every day, my award was a good reason for a festival. This was after the video from the Combat camera had been on the news. They’d said that it would be included in the combat training manual, but it seemed that making promotional materials was more of a priority.

It was hard to ignore the invitation. They expected me to come, so they’d decorated the area’s entrance with a fancy look. If I didn’t go, many people would be disappointed. A lot of things that they’d prepared in advance would be useless.

However, I didn’t feel comfortable during the party because several people tried flirting with me. I could tell that their motives differed. Some wanted to do it for politics. The California senator showed interest in me and wanted everyone to know about it. He even called in reporters to take pictures of us together.

Other men tried to approach me, inviting me over for a steamy night. They said it in different, clever ways. Still, others tried to appeal by saying that it was natural for one to seek a strong man during times of crisis. However, I just felt that these men were showing off.

‘Don’t they want me as a person?’

I didn’t know. In a country where sexuality was relatively free, it might not have been a big deal.

I refused anyway. The excuse of being a minor was still useful. Most accepted it as cultural differences, but some laughed wildly. Was that such a big deal?

I realized something again: the fact that the process of being made into a hero was never convenient for the person concerned.

#Journal, page 84, Camp Roberts.

As Christmas approached, the atmosphere of TV broadcasting promptly changed.

It wasn’t just Christmas carols flowing out. Stations began to include daily programs such as disaster broadcasting and news programming, talk shows, sitcoms, and dramas. Videos that ridiculously depicted the infectious mutants were the norm.

The closed channels had also been revived one after another. The number of people gathering in front of the TV had increased rapidly.

In my view, it was an expression of confidence that could potentially overcome a disaster, and an effort to spread a positive atmosphere.

Included among the new programs was this:

「Do It Yourself (DIY) for Patriots! Today is the first episode!」

It was a broadcast teaching people how to make personal supplies and equipment that the country needed. At first, I thought it was nothing, but it was no joke at all when I actually saw it.

「Good morning, patriotic citizens from all over the country. I’m McCallister Giver Johnson, an all-around technician ready to help you. From today, for seven weeks! I’m going to cut down a tree with the patriots! What am I going to make out of the wood? Don’t be surprised. It’s a relief plane!」

I thought I had misheard something. The host emphasized once more:

「Oh, you don’t have to doubt it. We’re going to build a flying transport plane! You don’t have to be scared. You can make it with any number of ordinary tools stored within your warehouse!」

Ordinary tools were based on the U.S. standard. It was common in that culture to make or repair things on one’s own.

「The name of this project is… yes! Let’s call it the Wooden Wonder! The patriots who know their history will say, “A-ha!” That’s right, when we beat up the Nazis, England, the land of travel, made a very good bomber with trees! That’s where I got my inspiration! Though, of course, it’s not the same thing!」

Soon, the screen showed the design. A phone number appeared, too. If you ordered by phone, they would send you the design for a fee. It had been announced that all of the proceeds would be donated as a defense fund.

「The plane we’re going to build doesn’t need to fly high and doesn’t need to be fast! Our enemies don’t have anti-aircraft guns! Of course, I don’t have wings! Our hope, “Wooden Wonder,” only needs to fly with luggage and people!」

Technician McCallister listed the performance of the finished product. If you were to make it right, you could carry up to two tons of supplies and fly a thousand kilometers.

The comment that ended the broadcast was:

「We have materials in each of your areas’ community centers! The Ministry of National Defense will purchase the completed part after standard and quality inspection! Please give us a lot of support, patriots!」

He said that it was a completed part, but it was only a first-time production to leave it to the individual. The host also showed himself putting what he’d made on a processing shelf.

The most important thing was motivation. Having something to do was indeed a great help in relieving the feeling of helplessness.

Keeping up the same trend, the recruiting s had been updated. They were the same as before, using war heroes to encourage enlistment. However, the seriousness had been replaced with humor.

The first ad of this type that appeared featured a muscular, white sergeant sitting on Grumble’s body. The reporter then asked him:

「What do you think is necessary to protect humanity?」

The sergeant replied:

「More weapons, more ammunition, more bastards.」

At this, the reporter asked:

「If it’s bastards that are needed, does that exclude women?」

The sergeant frowned.

「What does gender have to do with being a bastard?」

The reporter smiled brightly on the reversed screen.

「That’s right! God bless ‘Merica! Yeah! You can be a bastard! Call me now! Dallas! 972-392-9158! Fort Worth! 817-467-3266!」

The reflected the recently-revised conscription law. Originally, only men aged eighteen to sixty-five were eligible for conscription, but women could also now be conscripted as much as they wanted.

As of December 22, the number of U.S. troops had exceeded eight million. Refugee aid workers continued to expand. It was difficult to predict how far the U.S. military could possibly grow.

I was thinking about this when I suddenly appeared on the TV. The American flag fluttered in the background, and fighter jets flew for no reason. Among them, I was taking a pose.

「Protect your family and hometown! I’ll help you!」

‘What is this…?’

#Do whatever you want (1), Camp Roberts

The information from the journal now also showed visible changes in Camp Roberts. The U.S. military had begun recruiting refugee technicians.

As for the “Winter Alliance,” Gyeo-ul replaced the recruitment center. He categorized people by their professions and specialties. The alliance was large, and so he gathered all the information and sat down with a full tent.

“Those who are selected this time will be put first into base construction or facility restoration. In addition, they may be dispatched to factories, power plants, field maintenance windows, etc. They’re going to pay you a soldier’s salary and a risk allowance. Any volunteers?”

People flinched at the part about the risk allowance. There was no one willing to step up, but someone raised their hand carefully.

“Hey, I’m not applying yet, but I have a question.”

“Ask it.”

“You’re not going to give me citizenship?”

Gyeo-ul put on a regretful expression.

“We’re not planning that yet. They think adding troops is more important.”

More than a few people were disappointed. Right away, another question came up.

“Soldier’s salary. How much is it?”

Gyeo-ul stammered out the recruitment order addendum and the payroll table.

“It starts at 1,756 dollars a month. Additional adjustments will be made depending on the level of skill, experience, and ability to converse in English. And the risk allowance is a hundred and fifty dollars, but if you’re working outside the camp, you’ll definitely be paid it. If there’s a skirmish during the operation, they’ll give you two hundred and twenty-five dollars.”

“But, that’s about two million won. I have to go anyway…”

There was another question. Countless hands were coming up all over the place. Gyeo-ul called them out one by one and began to get it. This was mostly about safety.

After that process, the final number of applicants was seventeen: more than half of them. The more applicants, the stronger the influence of the “Winter Alliance” was, but they weren’t forcing it. It was a time to prioritize stability over strength.

Among the applicants, there was a welding engineer with a speaking disorder. He showed off such amazing skills, the U.S. military examiner indeed felt impressed. At first, they were reluctant to speak English, and it was difficult for him to communicate normally. Other engineers were also surprised. Crowds flocked around the result.

“Wow, look at this guy’s beading! You’re a craftsman.”

“I asked you to weld it, and you’ve got a pile of dragon scales.”

“I took a peek, and the rod was very artistic.”

Even to the outsider Gyeo-ul, the attached marks looked neat. The shape was covered in overlapping scales of exactly the same size and shape. The engineer’s acceptance was confirmed, and there was likely to be a salary adjustment.

His name was Park Byung-hoo. He smiled shyly when Gyeo-ul called out to him separately.

“Do you really want to do this?”

Park Byung-hoo took out a pen and notebook.

「What do you mean? Do you think I can’t because I’m disabled?」

“I don’t mean to discriminate. I like it when disabled people work for me. We’re seeing more and more economic allies. People will look at disabled people differently.”

After taking a breath, Gyeo-ul spoke again. “But I think you’re under pressure to step up because you’re disabled. That’s discrimination. It’s true that outside activities are more dangerous than others.”

There were people who hated the disabled being in the “Winter Alliance.” They were unable to defy Gyeo-ul openly but were only quiet on the outside. In the invisible space of their minds, contempt and insults ran free.

Just by looking at Lee Hoon-tae’s memo, which had been delivered to Gyeo-ul immediately, it was obvious this was the same in Park Byung-hoo’s case. It was common to swear or laugh in his face, then pretend he was deaf, saying he couldn’t hear it anyway.

There was good reason to think that he was being pushed by this atmosphere. This was the true meaning of Gyeo-ul.

It was also true that the risk of working was different for him. Admitting differences and discrimination were clearly different concepts.

Byung-hoo then wrote:

「Thank you for your concern. I definitely feel obligated, but it’s not necessarily something I dislike. I want to do it even if it’s dangerous.」

Gyeo-ul nodded.

“Okay, then go ahead.”

A U.S. military examiner was calling for applicants who had passed. Byung-hoo joined the ranks of these candidates at a busy pace. As Gyeo-ul watched, several people approached from behind him.

They were Chinese. Gyeo-ul greeted the central figure.

“Long time no see.”

Li Ai-ling quietly bowed to Gyeo-ul.

She had changed a lot. She used to feel like she was always intentionally overdressed. She dressed simply now. She was wearing white clothes. Given the circumstances of the Triad, it was probably a mourning suit.

She couldn’t help but ask Gyeo-ul, “What you said the other day, is it still valid?”

Gyeo-ul simply nodded.