Chapter 5

After a few rounds of drinks, the two men began to feel more at ease and started reminiscing about old times back home. Lock noticed that Uncle Yoshak was thinking of his two sons, and his words were filled with guidance for Lock’s behavior and actions. Lock was deeply moved by Uncle Yoshak’s affection and frequently referred to himself as a junior, toasting to Uncle Yoshak. Lock also had a clear memory of Uncle Yoshak’s two sons. When he first joined the army, his eldest son had inherited Uncle Yoshak’s blacksmith shop, while the younger son was still a helper in the shop. It was this helper who forged Lock’s first weapon, a short dagger.

This short dagger had no wooden handle; only the end of the blade was wrapped with a rough piece of linen to serve as a handle. The dagger was small and thin, and he always kept it hidden in his boot. This short dagger had a story.

When he secretly joined the army at 14, he only brought this short dagger with him. At the time, a young boy with a palm-sized dagger joining the army became a laughingstock and topic of conversation after meals in the training camp of the mining town. Normally, without a relative’s recommendation, he wouldn’t have been allowed to join, but Lock had grown up in the mining town and was familiar with everyone. Captain Yoshak, who was then the second squad leader of the town’s military camp, recognized young Lock. In this small town, including the attached villages, there were only about a thousand people. The population was not large, and everyone knew each other. Excluding the women and the elderly, there were only a few hundred able-bodied young men who could join the army, and everyone knew who could and would join.

Moreover, Lock’s short dagger was forged by his son, Little Yoshak, and he recognized it at first glance. When Lock secretly joined the army, his parents didn’t know; only his sister did. On that hot night, Lock quietly got out of bed, put on his linen clothes, and left their thatched cottage in straw shoes. Perhaps his sister understood her brother, or perhaps Lock’s clumsiness woke her up. Just as Lock had left, his sister, Lea, chased after him in the darkness and caught up with him.

She knew why her brother was leaving secretly; he wanted to earn money to help the family, to join the army! To prevent the family from starving during the drought and to avoid being sold to merchants, her brother decided to join the army without their parents’ consent. Once he was accepted into the army, he couldn’t leave on his own! Unless he deserted, which was impossible because his family was still there. So, even if his parents found out later, they could only accept the reality. After joining the army, her brother would earn a salary, and her father was too old and in poor health to answer the baron’s call to join the army. Only her brother was of the right age to join, and he decided to risk his life for the family.

Seeing her stubborn brother, Lea couldn’t help but cry, her tears streaming down her face, wetting the cheeks of the thin girl. At 14, Lock had a strong determination and a fierce spirit; he was unafraid of anything and could endure anything, except seeing his sister cry. He loved his sister more than himself. After comforting and consoling her, Lea gradually stopped crying, but the tear stains on her face made the malnourished, thin girl look even more delicate. She looked at her brother, searched through every pocket, and took out over 20 copper ducats, all the money she had. She looked at Lock with a dazed expression and said, “Come back alive!”

Lock took the 20 copper ducats from his sister and walked all night, arriving at the mining town at dawn. He used the money to go to the blacksmith shop, hoping to have a weapon made. However, the shop owner, who was Uncle Yoshak’s eldest son, told him that the money wasn’t enough to buy even a sword handle. As Lock was about to leave the shop in disappointment, a boy about his size ran out. Out of sympathy or to earn some extra money, he said to Lock, “20 copper ducats, I’ll make you a dagger from the leftover copper and iron ore. Deal?” He pointed to a few unremarkable stones at the shop’s entrance.

Lock looked at the small, brownish-yellow and reddish-brown stones, hesitated for a moment, and reluctantly agreed. After all, he didn’t know the situation in the camp and needed a weapon. Why join the army if he was just going to be cannon fodder?

Thus, Lock had his first weapon, a short dagger without a sheath or handle. With this dagger, which was only slightly larger than his palm, he joined the army, just meeting the age requirement. The next day, his parents and sister hurried to the town, watching Lock train with the others in the camp. The old Locks could only sigh with tears in their eyes, accepting the reality. This was the sorrow of the poor, for in times of disaster, human effort was insignificant, especially for a family of commoners. They left three large chestnut cakes for Lock, made from all the remaining food in the house. For the next six months, they might have to eat tree bark.

Lock’s sister took off the linen cloth that wrapped her long hair and gave it to Lock, saying again, “Come back alive!” In the evening, she supported her parents, who had aged significantly in just one day, as they walked back to Maple Leaf Village. Lock tightly held the linen cloth, which still carried the scent of his sister’s hair, and carefully put it away. He planned to wrap it around the dagger, letting it carry his sister’s love as he fought.

Watching his parents and sister leave, Lock swore to return alive. From then on, he began his two-month training in the camp. He trained hard with the captain, and his age, which was both a disadvantage and an advantage, allowed him to recover faster than most adults. It was during this time that he discovered his neighbor, little Hans, had also joined the army, but he had joined to get food. After two months of training, Lock and his comrades were sent to the battlefield.

This short dagger was a true reflection of Lock’s early days in the army, young and sharp, full of potential. The dagger had witnessed Lock’s many brushes with death. The cheap iron sword issued by the army broke in the first battle, and he used the dagger to kill his first enemy, a 14- or 15-year-old soldier from the Kingdom of Charlot. After that battle, Lock vomited for a whole day. However, he also captured a poorly made spear and a pair of short boots.

In subsequent battles, Lock’s weapons broke and were replaced, but his dagger never broke. Perhaps it was because he took good care of it, or perhaps Little Yoshak’s craftsmanship was excellent. The dagger accompanied him as he grew. The linen cloth wrapped around the handle had faded to a blood-red color, stained with both his and his enemies’ blood. Lock often took out his dagger to examine it, and from the rough linen, he could almost smell his sister’s hair.

The ale made Uncle Yoshak think of his sons and reminded Lock of the origin of his dagger, his sister, and his parents. They drank cup after cup, and the second bottle was almost empty. The ale at the Green Palm Tavern wasn’t particularly good, but it had a kick. Two bottles weren’t enough to get them drunk, but they did make them more sentimental.

After finishing the last cup of ale, Uncle Yoshak suggested leaving. It was indeed getting late, almost time for dinner. The Green Palm Tavern didn’t serve food, and they had to return to the camp. Uncle Yoshak had to go back to the main camp to have dinner with the baron, and Lock and his comrades had to do a night patrol. “Uncle, let’s go,” Lock said as he got up and helped Uncle Yoshak pick up his civilian clothes.

After leaving the private room, the two men were still somewhat melancholic from thinking about home. Uncle Yoshak, being a seasoned veteran, quickly adjusted his mood and made a small joke to lighten the atmosphere. “You’re 18 now, aren’t you still a virgin? I think the tavern owner’s wife is quite nice,” he said with a wink.

“Uncle, don’t joke around. Do you think she would even look at me? Her husband is quite capable and can even talk to the baron,” Lock laughed, and the sad mood dissipated. He didn’t know much about the tavern owner, but someone who could see the big picture early on must be no ordinary person.

“He’s just a speculator, a clown. The baron wouldn’t even give him a second glance,” Uncle Yoshak, who clearly knew the tavern owner well, said. This view wasn’t just his. “A pitiful fellow,” Lock thought, feeling a bit sorry for the tavern owner. It seemed that the higher-ups in the camp didn’t think much of this early defector. Then Lock thought of the still-attractive tavern owner’s wife, and perhaps influenced by the alcohol, he felt a sudden surge of heat.

Lock wasn’t a virgin. In his second year in the army, after narrowly escaping death in a large-scale battle and being promoted to a third-class soldier, he had some spare money left after sending money home each month. It was during this time, encouraged by his comrades, that he went to the quartermaster’s camp to lose his virginity. Perhaps because he was still a child at heart, he was most interested in older women. Of course, he wouldn’t admit to having this preference. In fact, subconsciously, he thought the most beautiful woman he had ever met was his sister, but every time he had this thought, he forced himself to calm down and slapped himself.