Chapter 28
“You’re here?”
Anschel, who had been quietly sitting on the sofa flipping through documents, stood up abruptly. He had neatly fixed his unfashionable 2:8 parted hair as if at attention, and wore thick-rimmed glasses.
Harriet smiled as if now accustomed to seeing his smooth forehead. Ender followed behind as Harriet limped in.
Anschel sensed with animal-like intuition that something had happened between the two of them since morning, but wisely pretended not to notice. He approached Harriet with several sheets of paper in hand.
From what Harriet had experienced these past few days, Anschel was truly a capable person. Though he tended to underestimate himself, he processed work quickly and his abilities were quite useful.
Unlike Ender, who was strong in hand-to-hand combat and strategy, Anschel was more rational and cool-headed. Even after learning facts that shook the foundations of his life, he didn’t immediately bare his teeth.
He even reported his mission to the president over the phone last night. Though his voice didn’t tremble, Harriet had seen his fingertips turning white from how hard he was gripping.
Not long after Harriet and Ender entered, Angela and Ryan burst into the office with bright smiles, carrying watermelons in both hands. Angela set down the watermelons, saying she had received them from a grandmother next door on her way to work.
Even though they hadn’t finished dealing with the watermelons they’d received as payment for their labor…
Anschel quietly rolled the watermelon.
“I want pizza or hamburgers.”
“That’s unexpected, you don’t look like you’d enjoy such things?”
“I do. In an ordinary way.”
Anschel opened the window and put an electronic cigarette in his mouth. He carefully took a few puffs, making sure the smoke didn’t enter the room, then turned it off. Since he couldn’t buy e-liquid even in town, he had to use it sparingly. Anschel turned his head after creating a barrier to block the entrance and windows.
Harriet was looking at Anschel’s electronic cigarette with interest. If you try to smoke this, I’ll be killed by the person behind you. Anschel, already cautious due to the curry incident, quickly put the electronic cigarette in his pocket.
“Then I’ll begin the briefing.”
Anschel cleared his throat and gathered everyone’s attention. Harriet let out a small laugh seeing Angela and Ryan’s expressions sour on the sofa.
Anschel’s briefing was long and boring. True to his title as a by-the-book soldier, Anschel meticulously criticized Angela and Ryan. It was the demise of these rascals who had been living freely after being relegated to this rural village.
It was so hot that sweat beaded at their temples. Harriet took out a tumbler from the refrigerator and took a sip of water. The ground was becoming increasingly difficult to stay on as the days grew hotter.
Harriet briefly considered visiting the lake today to meet the merman Ann. Anschel didn’t stop the briefing until Angela and Ryan were nodding off. The two suffered like students standing before a teacher.
“And soon, the president will send a monitor.”
“A monitor?”
“Yes, just a local military base monitor, so don’t be tense…”
No, it’s already too late.
Angela and Ryan, who knew Anschel was planning to run for president and oust the current president, began to tremble.
‘They’re already like this just hearing about it, it’ll be quite a sight when the actual person arrives.’
Anschel thought about quietly putting the two on patrol duty to send them away.
“Finally, there will be a regular military health examination, so please take note. There are no exceptions, and ability users will receive special examinations as well.”
“Ah… already.”
“How annoying.”
In the city, it wouldn’t matter with general hospitals and large medical facilities, but here in the countryside, there was only one health center. There was nowhere even in town that could conduct special examinations. That meant they had to travel to the city by car, which was no small distance.
It was an examination they had to take every two years, and it was troublesome and annoying every time. Men in particular had to undergo sexual function tests. Ryan grumbled that he didn’t understand why sexual function examinations were important for ability users.
After the briefing ended, there really wasn’t much to do. Apart from villagers coming in place of the non-existent police station, there were no visitors, and though Anschel was busy doing something, he didn’t seem to need help.
At that moment, Harriet’s cute two sparrows placed the watermelons they had brought earlier on the table. Angela fixed a watermelon with one hand and raised her fingertips. Then she swung her hand at the hard rind. Ridiculously, the watermelon easily split in two. Harriet clapped at this feat.
Ryan closed his eyes as he wiped watermelon juice from his cheeks. His face had turned pale.
Eventually, he came out from the corner of the office with a fruit knife in one hand and a cutting board in the other. He skillfully placed half of the watermelon on the cutting board and diligently cut it into edible pieces.
While Ryan was cutting, Angela was about to split the remaining watermelon in the same way but stopped at Ryan’s objection.
“Then I’ll leave it to you, Colonel.”
Ender received something from Anschel and frowned as if annoyed. Then he approached Harriet.
“Sunbae, I’ll be going out for a while.”
“Hmm… when will you be back?”
“Before lunchtime.”
Since it was now 10:23 AM, it wouldn’t be a very long absence. As Ender went outside, Angela sighed, relaxing her shoulders.
She was a fan of Ender, who was a worldwide celebrity. No matter how friendly he acted with Harriet, it was limited to Harriet only, so she found Ender intimidating.
“Since when have you been paired with Colonel Ender, Lieutenant Anschel?”
Rather than being paired, being dragged along would be more accurate, but at Angela’s question, Anschel looked up as he put a piece of watermelon in his mouth.
Harriet was curious about that too. Anschel seemed to have spent quite a long time with Ender, handling him very familiarly and carrying out tasks. And the fact that Ender had brought him as the only aide to this place was significant.
“…It’s been about 5 years.”
“How was it?”
“…”
Anschel narrowed his brow as if recalling a nightmare. It was 5 years ago that Harriet had come down to this countryside.
“At first, I was excited to meet a hero, but honestly, I also found it amusing. The Colonel was only twenty-two at the time, younger than me.”
But the Ender McGuire he actually encountered was a man more frightening and cruel than rumors suggested. Even now, it seemed to give him goosebumps as Anschel stroked his forearm several times.
“One thing I can say is that I never want to have the Colonel as an enemy. Never.”
Even if it meant going against the president, who held the highest authority on land, Anschel sincerely did not want to be at odds with Ender McGuire.
“Colonel Ender received all S’s in most examinations, right?”
Once, the health examination results had made the news. Angela had been eating rice soaked in soup while watching the news and marveled at it. Thinking that national heroes had no privacy.
The news summary was that all health examinations were in a healthy state, and his ability metrics were all S. He also achieved very good results in other special examinations.
“That’s right…”
Anschel hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should say more.
“Everything was in good condition except for one.”
“One?”
Ender McGuire had a flaw?
Everyone raised their heads to look at Anschel.
“Yes. In the Sexual Function Test, he scored F, the lowest grade.”
Sexual Function?
Even Harriet opened his eyes wide.
“…What happens if you get an F?”
So Ender McGuire… got an F specifically in the sexual function test? What does it mean if someone gets the lowest score there?
“It means he’s impotent.”
A cold wind passed through the office.
* * *
The health examinations designated by the state applied only to those serving in the military. And they were broadly divided into ordinary people without abilities and ability users.
Ability users were required to undergo special examinations every two years, which included many bizarre tests. The sexual function test was one of them. The tests were graded from the highest S grade to the lowest F grade, and despite being classified as confidential, they were practically exposed to everyone.
It was a hurdle that even Ender McGuire, a war hero, couldn’t avoid. Eventually, the test revealed to the world that Ender McGuire was impotent.
Fortunately, thanks to efforts to prevent this information from leaking to the press, it wasn’t spread to the entire nation. It was fortunate that he didn’t bear the stigma of being known worldwide as an impotent hero. However, they couldn’t stop the rumors from spreading secretly within the military.
In any case, Ender McGuire didn’t seem particularly concerned about this fact. He seemed genuinely uninterested. It wasn’t because Ender was apathetic or lacked will. It was because nothing could capture Ender’s interest.
Not long after Anschel was dispatched as an aide, people began to mock Ender who had just undergone a health examination. Saying he was Ender McGuire who acted up relying on his family name or lineage.
Even though being impotent had no correlation with one’s abilities, people fearlessly started picking fights with Ender one by one.
Thump.
One day, a rough-looking soldier who previously couldn’t even look Ender in the face properly bumped Ender’s shoulder as he passed by. The man with a thick mustache was Ender’s peer. Despite being much lower in rank, the man sneered rather than looking apologetic.
“Sorry, Major Impotent.”
“…”
Ender’s red eyes narrowed. At that time, Ender McGuire had just returned after achieving his sixth victory in naval combat. Anschel watched Ender’s reaction from the side.
But he didn’t seem inclined to get angry or retaliate. Ender just watched the retreating back of the man with narrowed eyes.
Not only that, but an elderly man who was much older than Ender but of the same rank also provoked him as if seizing the opportunity. He was a petty man who had always been displeased that Ender McGuire, younger than him, held the same rank. But again, Ender didn’t impose any sanctions or get angry with him either.
‘Is he unexpectedly a pacifist? Or a fool?’
Watching Ender remain still despite such insults, Anschel often sighed in frustration.
Ender had an extremely indifferent personality and didn’t give attention to those who felt inferior to him. It was the quickest way to increase the number of enemies, but he didn’t care.
However, everyone overlooked the fact that Ender wasn’t one to avoid confrontation, as they would discover a few days later.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
