When Spencer’s kid left, Malin stood up, shook hands with each officer, and eventually made his way to the old soldier, helping him to his feet.
"Sir, that is an excellent child. I see the sparkle of youth in him," said the increasingly aged man with a smile.
Malin thought so too, because Tuojin indeed possessed the qualities a political commissar should have: loyalty, bravery, and besides leading by example, that damned American-funded film that depicted the actions of World War I French marshals on political commissars as its own narrative was nothing but a smear of this great title.
The reason why Malin told the commissars to cherish their lives was ultimately for his own sake—the commissars at the front meant they had nearly the same casualty rate as the infantry. Talented young men like them shouldn’t die cheaply at the front line. After all, Malin needed at least 300 class hours to train a class of commissars, yet these madmen could get themselves killed on the front line within an hour once they went berserk.
"You’re old, old soldier," Malin said with a sigh, looking at the man before him with a hint of wistfulness.
Back when he was a child, Malin had met this man in the chaotic streets, and at that time, the old man didn’t look so aged. Although he was older, his tactical movements were still unaltered, unlike now, when his back was slightly hunched.
Time is as a knife, with every slice urging one to age.
Malin had bid farewell to many, and looking at the old man, thinking of the coming Tide of the Dead, he knew he would have to say goodbye to many more.
He still remembered his old dean saying that everyone born into this world has a mission. Malin knew hers was probably to educate those years and years of abandoned babies, the sick, and orphans.
But Malin had never confirmed what his own mission was.
"Sir, I am not you, I don’t have an exalted Sequence, nor do I have ample youth to squander. You see, my youthful home was shattered by Chaos. I joined the King’s army for revenge and was fortunate enough to live to such an age. Later, I came under your banner, found a new home, had children. Born a mortal, I have no regrets. I only wish to live one more day under your flag, to enjoy one more day, to teach the children one more day." The old man spoke nothing but the truth.
Malin smiled and nodded—this old soldier must have come from a well-off family, only to be destroyed by Chaos. As a young man, he joined the military for himself, for his family, and for all the innocents of this world: "I’m off, old soldier, next time I’ll buy you a drink."
"Sir, you... you will stop this Tide of the Dead, won’t you?" As he was about to exit the door, Malin was stopped by a question from behind. He turned to look at the old soldier, who appeared anxious, hesitant, and worried.
"Why do you ask that, old soldier?" inquired Malin.
"Because... because the junior officers all say that you are the strongest and most powerful advocate and sage of North Doctrine, that you are the Savior of the weary masses... I, my background isn’t like theirs, I have no home left, but the friends I knew when I was young are still alive, they are well, but if... if you really are as they say, who will live longer between me and them is a puzzle even I do not know the answer to," said the old man, his face filled with sorrow.
Malin knew that his friends were false, and the love that went unsaid and doomed to oblivion was what was true.
But this wasn’t about hosting a meal, so Malin had to respond: "Old soldier, I can see that you don’t look like a descendant of a mud-legged peasant. Your collar is always so clean, your nails are always untainted, you say you’ve fought for decades, but I can tell that even on the battlefield you are a gentleman... so, does it really matter what doctrine I follow? I just want everyone in this world to live. The young people think I don’t support the lazy, don’t compromise with the Nobles, want to start something new with all the Mortals under heaven... indeed, if there were no Chaos, no Evil God, I would definitely do it."
Looking at the old soldier, Malin expressed his true feelings: "If there were no Chaos, no Tide of the Dead, no damned invaders, I would certainly act that way. Because I can’t stand to see a person hanged because they cannot pay the overwhelming rent, or see a family starve to death without being able to hunt a rabbit in the woods simply because those woods are Noble property... old soldier, if not for Chaos and its minions, your friends would be my greatest enemies in this life. I would do everything in my power to destroy them, erase their existence, their history, their future... because I know that any compromise will only bring them back someday in the future. All the deaths, all the sacrifices, all the descendants of the people who got hurt in our era will be ruled by them again. The Lord of Justice has said it well, evil must be eradicated."
The old soldier was silent, and eventually nodded, a smile on his face: "You’re right, if not for the ruin of my family, the experience of struggling alone in this world, I indeed would stand against you. But now I am your chief political commissar, your will is my will, I will serve you until I take my last breath. If there were no Chaos, how wonderful it would be, I’d love to see how beautiful the world that the North Doctrine supporters talk about really is, they say it’s a world where everyone can have a meal of sarlo meat stew with