Slackers and Soldiers

He scanned his surroundings and spotted a few soldiers in vests, busy with various tasks in the distance. Some of them were even erecting tents, others were carrying supplies.

He compared them with the vestless soldiers who lounged around, doing nothing. He slapped his forehead and made a face of disbelief.

"How could I be so blind? I'm one of the slackers, huh" he whispered to himself, feeling stupid for not noticing the difference sooner.

'I should find some vest…' he thought, planning to grab one when he had the chance. He reasoned that it might be helpful in some situations. He imagined that a vest would give him some authority.

He also wondered why the vestless soldiers treated him like an officer, while the vested ones kicked or pushed him out of their way on a whim. He was confused about how the hierarchy of the Kisesh Kingdom's Military worked.

''No matter how I think about it, it doesn't make any sense…' he scratched his head, puzzled by the possibility that a high-ranking officer could be harassed just for being idle.

He wondered if there was a secret code or signal that he missed, or if there was a conspiracy or corruption within the military.

Moriarty guessed that the vestless soldiers were off-duty, with no work to do.

He came up with a mental list of the hierarchy: the slackers, ranked slackers, the soldiers, ranked soldiers, and the pervert lady who ruled them all.

He thought that this was a bizarre and irrational system, but he had no choice but to go along with it.

He stroked his chin and nodded, "That sounds about right." He told himself that this was the easiest way to understand the situation and avoid any trouble. He didn't want to cross or defy the pervert lady, who seemed to have total control over everyone.

'At least I'm not at the bottom of the food chain.'

He grinned and nodded again as he realized that being slacker gave him more leeway to wander around. He thought that this was a great chance to learn more about the fortress security, and maybe even discover some secrets or clues that could help him escape.

He decided to make the most of his situation and have fun as a slacker.

'Maybe I can even scale the wall and see everything from above. Hahaha, that's impossible… wait… Is it possible?'

Moriarty was shocked as he realized that he could scale the wall and even escape from it if he wanted to.

He realized as long as he stayed out of the way of the working ones they wouldn't bother him, he was just like a speck of dust to them that they would ignore. He felt relieved that he didn't have to face any danger or trouble from them.

He noticed that they were too engrossed in their own tasks and didn't pay attention to their surroundings. He thought that they were very reckless and careless, and that they wouldn't notice him even if he walked past them.

'I cannot believe such a kind of military existed…' 

He marveled at the lack of discipline and order among the soldiers.

He contrasted them with the soldiers of his own kingdom, who were trained to be alert and vigilant at all times, and who followed strict rules and regulations. He wondered how the Kisesh Kingdom survived with such a lax and chaotic military.

He smiled and shouted, "I'm a slacker!!!"

He wanted to celebrate his joy and freedom from the lousy rules of the military. At the same time, he wanted to test something. He wanted to see if anyone would react to his announcement, or if they would just ignore him.

One behind him heard him and said, "Yeah, you got that right! We are slackers!!!"

He agreed with him and showed his support. He was also an slacker one who didn't wear any vest, and who enjoyed his leisure time without any worries. He didn't care about the mission or the duty, he just wanted to have fun.

"WE ARE SLACKERS!!!" 

All soldiers who don't wear any vest yelled in unison.

They were proud of their status and didn't care about the opinions of others. Making Moriarty confirm that they don't pay attention to him inside their fortress as they lack vigilance and alertness, and the soldiers don't seem eager to look for anything suspicious at all.

'Maybe they thought I was already out. Fuh, my plan works more than I expected.' 

He was pleased that he had fooled them. He realized that they had no clue that he was still inside the fortress, and that they had taken him for one of their own. He thought that this was a huge advantage for him, and that he could use it to his benefit.

He decided to scale the wall and see what he could learn from above. He thought that this would give him a better view of the whole area, and maybe even expose some secrets or weaknesses of the enemy, and even simply escape if possible.

He walked towards the wall which he estimated to be a three kilometer walk. He thought that it was a long and exhausting distance, but he didn't mind it.

He enjoyed the scenery and the fresh air along the way. He saw some trees and flowers that he had never seen before, and he marveled at their beauty and fragrance.

Along the way he heard two slackers softly whispering, in the shade of a tree, he just glanced at them casually and he saw one slacker showing a women's underwear to the other slacker.

"See, something good always happens whenever I linger in front of my idol's room."

The slacker who had the underwear said proudly, as if he had accomplished something great. He bragged about his luck and skill in obtaining the underwear.

Moriarty chuckled as he heard him boasting about his loot, Moriarty thought, 'Heh, I did good. Not my cup of tea, but helping a brother for his desire ain't half bad.'