Chapter 76 - The Moon Walking in the Wake of the Sun (2)
Spending a night at City Hall was an entirely new experience for Ernest.
He had never even set foot in a city hall before, and outside of his home or the dormitory at the Military Academy, the only other places he had ever slept were out in the forest or camping on a mountain.
On top of that, the City Hall rooms were lavishly appointed, reserved for important guests—making the experience feel almost extravagant.
"I've never slept with so many people in the same room before."
"Me neither."
It was an unfamiliar situation for the other cadets as well. They had to sleep four to a room, and as wealthy boys from High Noble Families, none of them would have ever shared space like this before.
Just the thought of bunking with even one other person when they first entered the academy had been overwhelming—now it was four to a room.
Still, their discomfort didn't last. Even though these fifteen-year-old boys knew perfectly well the dreadful and grueling ordeal awaiting them, they were genuinely excited to joke around and chat late into the night together.
"Hey, maybe we'll even end up sharing a tent with four people like this."
"I don't know. Maybe they just picked names at random and threw us into rooms of four because it was easier?"
"No, I'm sure there's a reason."
For the first time since entering the academy, Ernest was separated from Robert, who had been by his side all this time. The cadets sharing the room with Ernest were firmly convinced that they'd get to share a tent with him during training, too. None of them had any real evidence for this; it was just something they desperately wanted to believe.
"By the way, I heard you got engaged last winter?"
"Yeah. I'm not really happy about it."
"I bet your fiancée feels the same way."
"No way. I'm an outstanding man who's an officer cadet at the Imperial Military Academy. Of course she'd be pleased."
"Oh, really? Are you sure that's not just what you want to believe?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you keep complaining about your fiancée, but aren't you actually head over heels for her?"
"Absolutely not!"
Even when it was time to go to bed, the cadets just kept talking as they lay in their beds.
"Krieger, aren't you getting engaged?"
"I don't have any reason to enter an arranged marriage like you guys."
"Why not?"
"What do you mean, why…? Arranged marriages are for the sake of your House, right? For me, it's just my father and me in the Krieger family, and I have no intention of getting involved in politics, so there's no need."
"That makes sense. Damn! You're lucky. At least you'll get to marry someone you actually like."
The young cadets, rather than taking pride in the power and status of their Houses that forced them into arranged marriages, envied those who didn't need to get married for political reasons.
"But hey, Krieger."
"Yeah?"
"What exactly is going on between you and Marie?"
Hiding in the darkness of the room with the lights out, drowned out by the howling wind and rain, a cadet nervously asked in a low voice. It was a highly sensitive subject. Carelessly gossiping about the relationship between Ernest Krieger—imperial noble and top student at the Imperial Military Academy—and Marie, a lowly Eblon girl known as the White Monkey, was completely unacceptable.
If Ernest took it as an insult and challenged him to a duel, it would be much more than just an inconvenience.
"Well…"
Fortunately, Ernest didn't leap out of bed to demonstrate any deadly techniques his respected father had taught him, nor did he challenge anyone to a duel. Instead, after thinking for a moment, he spoke carefully.
"Well, it's not the kind of relationship you're all imagining."
"…"
There was no need to specify what "that kind of relationship" meant.
"Marie is, how do I put this… Hmm, honestly, in the beginning, I couldn't have cared less."
"That's a bit harsh."
"Marie felt the same way. All Marie ever wanted from me was just a single word. And as for me… I never really wanted anything from her."
Ernest quietly reflected on his relationship with Marie.
"But things have changed a little between us now."
"How so?"
Hearing the subtle anticipation in his friends' voices, Ernest wondered how to put this complicated relationship into words.
"Marie treats me like I'm some kind of older brother. And I guess I treat her like a little sister, too."
"That's it?"
"Yeah. That's all there is to it. Does it look like there's something more to you?"
"No, well…"
"Robert's in the same boat, you know. So, you get what I mean, right?"
Imitating Robert's way of speaking, Ernest made his point, and the boys, who had been full of curiosity about the relationship between Ernest and Marie, couldn't help but feel deeply disappointed. It was true—Marie treated both Ernest and Robert exactly the same. She hadn't been like that back in First Year, but at some point, that's just how it became. And there wasn't the slightest hint of romantic feelings between them.
"So, Ernest, what about marriage for you?"
"Yeah, you have to get married at some point. Is there any girl you like?"
"No, not really."
"Then what are you going to do about marriage?"
"Well, I'm not sure… I've never really thought about it…"
Once the topic turned to his own marriage, Ernest couldn't help feeling flustered. He had truly never given the matter a single thought.
"Don't you think Father will decide for me?"
Ernest spoke up cautiously.
"Hey! You can't let that happen!"
"Yeah! You can't do that!"
"I really thought you were different, but now I'm disappointed!"
Immediately, his peers bombarded him with out-of-the-blue criticism.
"You have the chance to marry someone you actually like, but you're just going to marry whoever your father chooses for you! You're not even a real man!"
"A true man knows how to win love for himself!"
"That's right! You should marry a lady you love, who loves you back, and live happily ever after!"
The cadets who had been forced by their families to marry women they didn't love now passionately extolled the greatness of marrying for love to Ernest.
"W-well, before anything else, I should just focus on graduating from the Military Academy and becoming a Beowatcher…"
"What! No way!"
"Absolutely not! Get engaged before then! No, get married!"
"Yeah! Get married! Get married!"
"Get married! Get married!"
Bang!
"Be quiet and go to sleep!"
"..."
As the instructor patrolled the hallway, keeping an eye on the cadets, he banged on the door and shouted, causing all the cadets who had been urging Ernest to get married to clamp their mouths shut.
After the grumbling instructor walked past, one cadet whispered quietly,
"Once you're commissioned as an officer, you lose a lot of political freedom. Especially someone as outstanding as you—even if you don't make it as a Beowatcher, you could still end up in the Capital Defense Force."
"Yeah, just becoming the top student at the Imperial Military Academy even once isn't something easy. If there aren't any special problems, you're going to be promoted really fast. Who knows, you might even end up at Imperial Army Headquarters."
"The power struggles inside the military aren't a joke. If you aren't part of a faction, it's almost impossible to survive. And once you're in a faction, there's no such thing as political freedom anymore. So you really need to marry the woman you like before you graduate."
"No, marriage alone isn't enough. You should even have a kid. Preferably a son! Isn't it just you and your father left in the Krieger family? If you have a son, make him the official successor to the Krieger name, and that way, you can protect the woman you love."
"C-calm down… You're getting way ahead of yourself."
"I am not! This is a serious matter!"
Bang!
"That's right! This is a serious matter! Everyone, out!"
The heated debate about how Ernest needed to hurry up and marry the woman he liked and have a son to become the official successor of the Krieger family echoed all the way into the hallway, and even the instructor, who had let it slide once, couldn't tolerate it a second time.
They were forced to run up and down the City Hall lobby, drenched by rain and thunder pounding all around.
"This is all your fault!"
Although Ernest had never once raised his voice, he shouted in frustration as he was punished along with everyone else.
"No! It's your fault for foolishly considering a political marriage when you have other options!"
"That's right!"
"You don't seem to realize how serious this is, so we need to make your situation public and get other people's opinions—maybe then you'll come to your senses."
"Why are you trying to make my marriage a topic of public discussion? Go worry about your own love lives!"
"Quiet! Quiet! You lot just can't stop running your mouths, even while being punished! And for the record, it's best to avoid political marriages if you can!"
Even as they ran punishment laps in the lobby, the cadets couldn't stop rambling, and for some reason, the instructor—almost choked with emotion—gave heartfelt advice to avoid political marriages.
Ernest felt bewildered that everyone except him seemed to be treating marriage so seriously.
Ernest believed that he was neither at the right age nor in the right situation to be worrying about marriage just yet. This was largely due to the influence of his father, Haires Krieger. Haires had spent his youth serving as a soldier in the field, which meant that, although he became engaged to his beloved wife Mia at seventeen, he didn't actually marry her until he was well past thirty.
Still, Ernest was already fifteen, considered an adult, and had outstanding grades at the Military Academy.
It was likely he would receive an excellent assignment after graduation, and, contrary to appearances, House Krieger was actually quite wealthy.
So, it wouldn't have been all that strange if he were to marry right away.
Ernest and the other three cadets had to sprint around the lobby late at night, drenched in sweat.
But he didn't feel lonely—because he wasn't alone.
In fact, it turned out that not only their room, but cadets from other rooms had also been called out to run in the lobby alongside them.
"Hey, Ernest. Lovely night, isn't it? I never doubted that fate would bring us together like this again. So, have you decided which cadets you'll let into your tent? If it's all right with you, I'd love to be your loyal hound and curl up in a corner."
"Robert, can you please stop? You're being disgusting."
Robert, who never seemed to run out of things to say, would feel left out if he wasn't involved in moments like this. Even while being punished for talking and dragged out to run laps, Robert stuck close to Ernest's side, showering him with outrageous remarks.
Simply put, Robert had absolutely no intention of sleeping in any tent but Ernest's, not even ones set up by other cadets in the rainy forest.
"What do I have to do to get into your tent? If you say no to having me as your subordinate or even as your dog, what am I supposed to do?"
"Robert, maybe you should focus on pitching your own tent."
"So your plan is to just slide right into the tent I set up and lie down, huh?"
"What are you talking about? I'll do whatever you tell me to! You can boss me around as much as you want! As long as I can sleep in your tent!"
"You're not even good at following orders, though..."
"Damn! Can't argue with that!"
"These kids are seriously driving me crazy with all this noise..."
Watching the Second Year cadets chattering away with their friends as if they were fish in water, even while running laps as punishment, the instructor smacked his forehead.
These Second Years had an especially deep bond compared to previous classes, which made the older instructors genuinely proud.
Still, at moments like this, it was just exhausting.
"All right, that's enough. Go back inside."
"Can't we stay a little longer? We're not done talking yet."
"Go inside and sleep... I need to sleep too..."
At fifteen, even after running and sweating late at night, all you want is to keep having fun—but for the instructor, who was pushing forty, even if he went to bed right now, he'd still have to worry about getting up in the morning.
"If I catch you again, I'll make you run outside City Hall, not just the lobby. Then let's see you keep flapping those mouths."
"..."
Fortunately, the instructor's final warning worked, and the cadets became as quiet as mice and quietly filed back into their rooms. Even at fifteen, they knew full well that running around outside in this weather was a reckless thing to do.
"Krieger, listen to me. You have to get married before graduation."
"Yeah, you should listen to what I say. Otherwise, you'll end up regretting it."
"If you keep this up, I'm going to yell. I'll say we should all run outside City Hall together."
"..."
Even after returning to the room, Ernest couldn't sleep because his peers kept whispering and chatting. Only when he threatened them into silence did he finally manage to fall asleep. His body was still overheated from all the yelling and running around the lobby just a short while ago, so he couldn't fall asleep right away—but as soon as he cooled down a bit, the exhaustion caught up with him and he was out like a light.
"…What the…"
Marie had come to visit the Second Year dormitory during free time, but she was startled to find that, except for the Disciplinary Officer's Office, the whole building was dark and there wasn't a sound to be heard. She wandered through the dim dormitory, hesitantly knocked on both Ernest and Robert's doors, then made her way back downstairs and stood nervously in front of the Disciplinary Officer's Office. Gathering her courage, she knocked and went inside.
"The Second Years have departed for field training. They won't be back for quite a while."
"..."
The Disciplinary Officer didn't like Marie, since she was from Aeblon, but still explained the situation to her. After leaving the Disciplinary Officer's Office and standing in the hallway, Marie looked up at the stormy night sky outside the window.
She'd gone through all that wind and rain to get here, only to find no one there.
She felt empty.
Judging from the fact that Ernest hadn't told her beforehand, he must not have known either. Realizing this, Marie didn't feel disappointed.
And she was no longer the weak, foolish little girl who couldn't get up unless Ernest cheered her on.
Of course, it would be nice to hear him encourage her, but it wasn't strictly necessary anymore.
So while she did feel a little regret, Marie also felt relieved that she wouldn't have to face Ernest checking her homework. And Ernest hadn't said anything about what to study next, either.
If that's the case, maybe there's no need to do extra studying, right?
Shifting her gaze around self-consciously for no good reason, Marie quickly left the Second Year dormitory. When she returned to her room, she didn't even bother opening the treasured book she'd kept so carefully stuffed inside her cadet uniform, just in case the raincoat wasn't enough protection.
She simply slipped it back onto her bookshelf at once.
And with no worries about homework, she was able to relax in peace.
Studying could wait until tomorrow. Maybe even the day after that.
Thinking about how she wished Ernest and Robert would come back soon, Marie hoped this restful feeling would last a little while longer.
***
After spending the night at City Hall, the next day, following another long journey in the transport vehicles, the Second Year cadets of the Imperial Military Academy ended up staying at the barracks alongside the soldiers.
"Ow, ow…"
"Oh man…"
They were only fifteen years old, but after sitting cramped in the transport vehicles all day, every step they took made them groan in pain. Their knees, hips, backs—there wasn't a single part of their bodies that didn't ache.
"We're supposed to sleep in a filthy place like this?"
The cadets were appalled when they saw the barracks where the commoner soldiers lived.
"Whew…"
But the relentless journey through the wind and rain in those transport vehicles had completely drained even these young boys' energy. The night before, they'd stayed up late, chatting and having fun, but tonight, as soon as their heads touched the pillows, they all fell into a deep sleep.
"…This barracks isn't so bad."
"Right?"
When morning came, the cadets, somewhat sheepish, found themselves complimenting the barracks where the commoners lived. But not all barracks were this decent. In the cities and castles of the Empire's Central Region, the barracks were modern, but farther out in the provinces, it was still common to find places infested with fleas, where people slept on straw beds.
After one more comfortable night's sleep in real beds, the cadets finally faced the long-awaited moment.
Whoooosh!
"We're camping out here!"
"..."
As he watched the cadets' faces twist in dismay—about to camp in a rain-soaked field right next to a village where people actually lived—Thomas smiled warmly, even as the harsh rain drenched him.
"Today, in a rare show of consideration for you all, I'll make a special exception! You'll be allowed to use the transport vehicles!"
As they left the Central Region, the rain had let up a bit, but these greenhorns had no experience with camping. There was no way they could pitch tents and sleep out here. Even seasoned soldiers would struggle to set up a proper tent and camp safely in weather like this.
"You can sleep in the transport vehicles, or use them to help set up your tents! If you want, you can start from scratch and build new tents—whatever you like! It's entirely up to you!"
But as generous as Thomas sounded, who in their right mind would want to sleep in a tent in weather like this? The cadets all climbed back into the transport vehicles, curling up inside and trying to get some sleep.
Trying to get any rest in those cramped, muggy vehicles, with the pounding rain and rumbles of thunder echoing through the metal walls, was miserable.
Still, this kind of terrible environment was a common reality in the field, and enduring it would be a valuable experience for them.
The Imperial Military Academy's convoy pressed on for several more days, finally leaving the Central Region behind and escaping the worst of the storm.
Though it was raining steadily, the wind wasn't too fierce.
***
"Starting today, you'll be sleeping in tents you pitch yourselves!"
In other words, no more sleeping in the transport vehicles.
"The tents are for four people! I'll only demonstrate how to pitch them once!"
Thomas, accompanied by three instructors, quickly put up a tent, rain pouring down on them the whole time. In truth, he didn't need the help—Thomas could have built the tent himself effortlessly. But the cadets weren't so capable.
"Begin!"
Even after Thomas gave the order, most of the cadets—worn out and disheveled after days in the transport vehicles—just stood there, staring off into space and unable to move.
"Robert!"
"Yes, sir! I'm coming! Let's go!"
Regardless of what everyone else was doing, Ernest, taking along Robert who'd promised to be his loyal dog, hurriedly grabbed tent materials and dashed off to the spot he'd already scoped out.
It was on a slight incline so rainwater wouldn't pool, and the grass was thick, its roots holding the soil tight and making the ground stable. With just a bit of drainage dug, they'd be able to spend the night in safety.
"Damn!"
Ferdinand came rushing over too, but Ernest had beaten him to it.
Ferdinand let out a regretful sigh, then quickly gathered his wits and called out to Ernest.
"Let's do this together!"
"Sure!"
Ferdinand, wisely, decided to join forces with Ernest instead of competing with him.
Ernest, too, knew having a reliable partner like Ferdinand would be a hundred times better than trying to set up a tent in the pouring rain with only the mostly-useless Robert, so he accepted without hesitation.
"Hartmann! We're supposed to organize our groups, remember"
Some of the cadets had taken Ferdinand at his word when he said he'd organize the teams based on experience, but when they saw the two most reliable cadets—Ernest and Ferdinand—joining forces, they wailed in despair.
Letting those two be on the same team was clearly a waste of manpower.
The ones who should be leading had banded together just to look out for themselves.
"Sorry, but I want a good night's sleep too, just for today!"
Sleeping in the transport vehicle had worn out even the robust Ferdinand. He felt a twinge of guilt for abandoning his fellow cadets.
'I don't have to take responsibility for all my peers. We're cadets on equal footing, not my subordinates.'
But the sweet promise of a comfortable place to sleep was too tempting to resist, so Ferdinand quickly rationalized it and turned a blind eye to the others. In truth, there was no reason Ferdinand had to take care of the rest of them. After all, weren't they all officer cadets?
"I-I'll do it!"
"Move!"
Other cadets, desperate to join the team with Ernest and Ferdinand, rushed over frantically. If they could squeeze in here, at least tonight they'd get some decent rest.
"Ernest. Let's make a deal."
But before they could, one cadet had already dashed over right after Ferdinand did. Shockingly enough, it was Wilfried, the fourth son of Duke Ravid.
"I'll restore Robert's bounty for you."
Wilfried spoke with a gentle smile and a calm tone. Back on Founding Declaration Day, Ernest had gotten on Wilfried's nerves and told him to use the opportunity he'd earned from Robert's bounty to vent his anger. Now, Wilfried was offering to restore that and give him another Wish Token.
"Wilfried wouldn't be of any help in a situation like this."
"Ferdinand."
"He's probably never pitched a tent in his life—has he even used a shovel?"
"..."
Before Ernest could respond to Wilfried's offer, Ferdinand cut in immediately.
Wilfried was exactly the sort of person who would slip into a tent someone else built, clean himself up, and hand out compliments—not the type to pant and sweat while setting up accommodations and digging drainage trenches.
Unable to argue with Ferdinand's spot-on remarks, Wilfried just opened and closed his mouth awkwardly.
Noticing this hesitation, the other cadets, watching carefully, began trying to push the Duke's son out of the group.
They couldn't care less that he was the Duke's son—everyone felt like they might die if they didn't get some rest, so all hesitation was gone.
"Alright, Wilfried."
But Ernest accepted Wilfried's offer. Wilfried was visibly shocked.
"But you have to do the tasks assigned to you. We need people who can work together, not someone we have to look after or wait on hand and foot."
"…Fine."
At Ernest's words, Wilfried hesitated, then gave a small nod.
"Ferdinand, dig the drainage trench with Wilfried. I'll build the tent with Robert."
"Understood."
Ferdinand did not object to Ernest's decision; he simply followed his order without question. This spot had been claimed by Ernest and Robert, and Ferdinand had later asked Ernest if he could join them. Right now, in this small team, Ernest was the commander, so Ferdinand would simply do as he was told.
"We're going to dig a drainage trench. From here to here, we'll make a gentle curve to direct the water outwards. That way, any water can flow away."
Without hesitation, Ferdinand handed a shovel to Wilfried and began explaining the drainage plan. Wilfried, holding a shovel for the first time in his life, listened carefully to Ferdinand's instructions, though his grip was awkward and unsure.
"It's raining heavily, and we need to make the trench deep enough to account for soil washing in. If we don't, the water will overflow and run straight into the tent. Let's get started."
With that, Ferdinand finished his explanation and began digging, scooping out the waterlogged, muddy soil with powerful strokes. Wilfried quietly watched Ferdinand work for a moment, then began shoveling himself, his stance uncertain.
"Grip that tightly!"
"Okay!"
"You've got to hold it tight!"
"I said I got it!"
Meanwhile, Ernest and Robert started setting up the tent. Ernest wisely assigned Robert only to tasks that required no special skill—like pulling the ropes tight to stretch the tent roof or carrying supplies.
"You traitors!"
"Stop complaining about us and worry about setting up your own tent! Unless you want to spend the night flailing around in the mud! Ha ha!"
They came under a barrage of jeers, but Robert, who had resolved to become Ernest's loyal dog, bravely carried the tent supplies, enduring all the taunts with unwavering determination. Not only did he take it all, but he barked back fiercely, launching a counterattack that shut everyone up. He really was a true dog, through and through.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
Wilfried, small in stature and with no prior experience in manual labor, was struggling terribly to dig up sodden, root-filled mud. Even so, determined to fulfill his assigned duty as Ernest had said, he didn't complain and did his best with the shovel.
'Damn it. This is absolute hell.'
Wilfried cursed inwardly.
Before entering the Military Academy, he had never imagined himself doing such menial, grueling work.
'And it's probably thanks to someone else working this hard that I was able to live so comfortably until now.'
At the same time, Wilfried realized it was precisely because others had done such exhausting work that he, the Duke's son, had been able to sleep soundly at night. Not everyone can do only the easy or pleasant jobs.
Someone has to do the hard, unpleasant work, whether they want to or not.
'Instead of all that useless politics and nonsense, they should've taught us things like this. This is what nobles are supposed to take responsibility for.'
Wilfried grumbled inwardly about his illustrious father, Duke Ravid, Your Excellency. The foundation of everything nobles enjoyed was the sacrifice of others. That sacrifice had originally been a reward meant for those nobles who bore serious responsibilities. But somewhere along the way, the sacrifices of commoners had simply become expected, and nobles no longer felt responsible for the common folk.
'Damn those noble bastards.'
Though he himself was one of the Empire's most exalted nobles, Wilfried cursed the nobility. He felt as though he was losing his mind. Maybe it was actually true, and his body was simply too exhausted for him to think straight.
"Wilfried! That's enough!"
"Huff! Huff! Phuh! Haa!"
After spending ages silently cursing the nobility, the Duke's son finally snapped back to reality at Ferdinand's shout and looked up. At some point, Ferdinand had finished digging all the drainage channels for his own section and was now helping Ernest put the finishing touches on their tent.
"Ha..."
Wilfried compared the deep, smoothly curved drainage ditch Ferdinand had dug to his own uneven, crooked one and let out a hollow laugh. At least he had dug it deep enough, so the water was flowing well—that was something, at least.
He staggered forward with his shovel, and by the time he reached the tent, the highly capable Ernest and Ferdinand, along with the otherwise useless Robert—who was only good for hauling stuff—had finished setting up the tent perfectly.
"It's done! Let's go inside!" Ernest announced, stepping into the completed tent.
Ferdinand and Robert followed, and Wilfried trudged in after them, exhausted.
"It's... pretty spacious."
Wilfried was surprised to find the inside of the tent much roomier and cozier than he had expected. While he took it in, Ernest and Ferdinand were scraping away the rainwater that had splashed onto the mat during setup.
They had pitched the tent on a slight slope; the higher end—the head side—had the mat folded up and tucked under the roof, so even if rain overflowed the drainage ditch, it wouldn't easily leak in. On the lower end, at their feet, there were holes to allow any water that did get in to drain right back out.
It was a flawless, sturdy tent—almost too well-made to tear down after just one night.
"Now we can finally get some real rest."
"Robert, go get dinner."
"What? Me? Why me?"
"Then go sleep outside."
"Oh, of course, I'll do it. Absolutely, that's only right. Wilfried, come with me."
"…Me too?"
"Hey! No backtalk, just come!"
Robert, looking flustered, dragged a reluctant Wilfried back out of the tent. Honestly, Wilfried wanted to rest, but as the Duke's son, he was now even more useless than Robert—who was at least good for carrying things—so he silently followed along to the instructor to fetch their dinner.
"No! It's collapsing!"
"Aaaaah!"
"We're doomed!"
"Don't give up yet! We can still make it!"
"It's already over… I'll just toss a tent over my raincoat and sleep like that…"
"Please… Please, just hold out—don't collapse…"
On his way back to his own perfectly sturdy, well-built tent, Wilfried could see the other cadets struggling desperately in the rain, endlessly frustrated and deflated as they tried to put up their tents.
"Hehehehehe…"
And then there was Thomas, laughing unpleasantly.
Wilfried pressed his lips together and quietly slipped into his tent.
After sharing a warm dinner with everyone, he changed his clothes, sprawled out, and drifted off to sleep.
"Ahhh! It's being washed away!"
"Water! The water's coming in!"
"No, stop!"
Until morning, chaos reigned as the other cadets' awkwardly built tents collapsed and were swept away by the rainwater.
Frankly, Wilfried couldn't have cared less.
Despite their shouting, the ever-sensitive Wilfried slept deeply through the night, not waking even once.
In all of his 15 years, Wilfried had never slept so soundly.
And that morning, Senior Instructor Captain Thomas Kohler's face looked like he couldn't have been happier.
Thomas sat at the entrance of the tent he'd built himself, his chin in his hand, wearing a satisfied smile as he watched the cadets scream one after another.
Truly, it was a scene that made life worth living.