Chapter 137: Special Quota from the Veterans’ Hospital

Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Special Quota from the Veterans’ Hospital

It all began with, or more accurately, can be traced back to the terrifying Underground City riot that swept across the entire East Coast Province.

At the time, due to certain circumstances, Rein had been transferred from the Royal Capital and was temporarily attached to the Iris Kingdom’s Third Legion.

His unit was urgently dispatched from their station in White River Province to the East Coast Province to provide rescue and support in the war zone.

It was during the evacuation of civilians that a tide of Demons ferociously slammed into the army’s defensive lines.

The entire legion collapsed in an instant, and all the soldiers were scattered.

Rein’s memory of the scene was hazy. He must have passed out from exhaustion. When he woke up again, he was in the infirmary of a rear-echelon unit.

Everyone told him that a soldier named Molok had saved him.

That was how Rein first met Lance’s father.

During that Demon riot, Rein suffered a severe, irreversible injury to his left leg.

Crippled by his injury, he could no longer serve in the army and had no choice but to retire.

Coincidentally, Molok was also among those retiring, and he too chose to settle in Gray Rock Town.

As they traveled home together after their discharge, Rein discovered that Molok had an extremely gentle personality. No matter what hardships they faced, he always met everyone with a beaming smile.

He never got angry, even when other veterans bullied him. It was always Rein who stood up for him.

Between Rein’s help and the fact that Molok had saved his life, the two grew close.

Later, Molok left Gray Rock Town for a while. When he returned, he was carrying baby Lance.

Rein would often visit Molok’s home to play with the little guy.

As Rein reached this point in his story, he seemed to suddenly remember something.

He stood up, walked to a cabinet, and pulled open a drawer secured with a copper lock. From a small iron box deep inside, he took out a photograph.

The technology for photography had existed in this world for a long time. Furthermore, thanks to technical improvements and popularization by the Alchemy Association, there were many photo studios in the big cities.

"Look, this is a picture of your father and me, taken before we retired."

The edges of the photograph were severely yellowed, marked by the passage of time.

On it were two men dressed in worn-out soldier uniforms.

One of them was a younger-looking Rein.

And next to him stood another man with an exceptional air about him.

Though the man wore coarse clothing, a gentle smile graced his lips, and he exuded an aura that was as refreshing as a spring breeze.

But looking at the man’s smile in the photograph, a piercing chill suddenly ran through Lance.

The man, as Lance remembered him at his death, looked exactly the same as he did twenty years ago.

Time had not left a single trace of age on his face.

Moreover, in all of Lance’s memories spanning more than a decade, whenever his father was present, he always wore this same standard, flawless, gentle smile.

Always.

That was what struck Lance as the most unsettling.

’How could a normal person possibly maintain the same expression forever?’

’That gentle smile lacked any hint of human emotional fluctuation. Instead, it was like a lifelike mask that had been forcibly welded onto his face.’

’And Uncle Rein hadn’t noticed at all? Was it some kind of perception-blocking ability?’

He suddenly thought of...

[Talent: Ouroboros Ring (Red)]

[...]

[Additional Effect: Upon resurrection, all negative statuses will be automatically purged from the body, and all abilities on cooldown will be reset.]

’In other words, this perception-blocking might have been active all along. It’s only because I purged all negative statuses upon resurrecting that the other party can no longer shield my perception.’

Feeling he had grasped a key clue, Lance now wanted only to leave immediately and go to one last place to verify his theory.

"Thank you for today. I’ll bring some good wine next time I visit."

Lance composed his expression and offered a smiling farewell.

As he turned to leave, Rein suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Wait."

Lance was a little confused, but facing this elder who had taken such good care of him, he obediently stopped and stood his ground.

"There’s another reason I’ve been asking you to come over."

Rein turned, placed the yellowed photograph back in the iron box, then bent down and took two other items from the bottom drawer of the cabinet:

a neatly folded piece of parchment and a quill pen dripping with ink.

"Lance, come here."

Rein beckoned.

Lance immediately turned and walked back to the chipped-corner dining table.

"What’s this?"

"This is a will that is legally binding in the Kingdom. It also contains a special Merit transfer contract."

Rein pushed the parchment and quill directly in front of Lance.

The weathered old soldier looked up at the young man before him, his scarred face managing a clumsy yet gentle smile.

"Sign it, kid."

Lance was completely stunned.

His gaze fell upon the parchment, which bore the bright red seal of the Kingdom Military Department.

Listed on it was the old soldier’s inheritance.

On the transferor’s line, Rein’s name was already scrawled.

"Your father passed away early, and now you’re an orphan, kid."

Rein sighed.

"The truth is, in my heart, I’ve long considered you my own nephew."

"I’m over fifty. Those old, life-threatening injuries from the battlefield have been flaring up more and more frequently these past two years. I don’t even know if I’ll close my eyes one night and actually wake up the next morning."

In the ancient traditions of the Iris Kingdom, if a veteran who had been to war died without a relative to perform the final guiding ceremony for him, then their soul could not enter the Heroic Spirit Hall of Terence, the god of war and victory.

"Kid, I want to entrust my final affairs entirely to you."

"When the day comes that I really breathe my last, I want you to be the one to see me off, in the capacity of a relative. In this world, aside from you, I have no other family I can trust."

On this vast continent, because the legendary Nether River truly exists, the final rites performed by a relative were of utmost importance.

It required the closest younger relative to personally use Holy Water, infused with White Oak Leaves, to wash the deceased’s cold body, bit by bit.

Next, the deceased had to be dressed in their cleanest military uniform.

Finally, a Parthian Copper Coin, stamped with a Sword and Shield Badge, had to be placed on each of the deceased’s closed eyes.

This was the expensive fare to be paid to the Ferryman of the Nether River.

After all this was done, the relative had to personally watch as the heavy coffin was slowly lowered into the ground.

As Lance listened to Rein’s heartfelt words, memories from the original owner of his body surged forth...

They were childhood memories. Lance’s father would often leave Gray Rock Town, entrusting Little Lance to Rein’s care for periods of time.

When all the other children his age had Wooden Swords and only Little Lance had nothing, Rein would carve a Wooden Warhammer for Little Lance so he could show it off to the other kids.

Another time, a traveling circus from the Kingdom came to Gray Rock Town to entertain the retired veterans.

The crowd in front was packed solid, and Little Lance was jumping up and down in his eagerness to see.

It was Rein who tucked his cane into his belt and, despite his trembling, injured leg, lifted Little Lance onto his shoulders so he could watch the show.

In Little Lance’s memories, every scene with Rein was painted in warm colors.

Compared to Molok, Rein was much more like a real father.

Lance felt a warmth spread through his heart.

Just a short while ago, he had learned that his past life was a sham, a stage play controlled by someone pulling the strings.

Since yesterday, he had begun to doubt this body’s father, to doubt everything happening around him, and even felt a sense of loneliness, as if surrounded by falsehood.

But in this moment, he truly felt the pure, unadulterated warmth from Rein.

This was a genuine emotion, built upon more than a decade of companionship.

This warm current caused his heart, which had been tense with vigilance, to involuntarily soften.

"Okay."

Lance didn’t hesitate in the slightest. He looked the old soldier in the eyes and nodded firmly.

"But don’t you go having morbid thoughts. You have to live long enough to see my wedding."

Hearing Lance’s promise, a happy, hearty smile finally bloomed on Rein’s face.

"Good kid! I knew spoiling you wasn’t a waste!"

The old soldier clapped Lance firmly on the shoulder.

"Since you’ve already agreed to see me off, then you should sign this contract."

"There’s something very important in this contract. If you ever get the chance to become a Professional, it will be of great use," Rein explained patiently.

"Of course, if you just want to live a quiet life, you can also sell the slot through the Black Market. The fortune you’d get would be more than enough to fulfill all sorts of life dreams."

Rein pointed his finger to the middle of the contract.

There, written clearly in red ink, was:

[Veterans’ Hospital Special Approval Slot]