Sil Will Be Useful?

The training instructor was an older man for this world, and had a charcoal grey mustache. The 'stache might have looked good if it was well taken care of, but the haggard, depressed look on the man's face showed he didn't care much for appearance.

I rode Appa up in front of the man, looking down from my perch on the horse's back.

"I've come to lead these soldiers. Who should I talk to about this?"

The instructor gazed up at me, a look of admiration on his face.

'That isn't admiration, that's confusion. You look like an idiot.'

The instructor took a moment to gather his thoughts, seemingly trying to decide what to do.

"So… you want to join the military, kid? We do need people, but you will have to work hard. With this war taking so many people away from us, we've had to conscript children… What has this country come to…"

I wanted to lean forwards and give the poor old sap a pat on the shoulder, but Appa decided it was the perfect time to troll me, and took a step back, leaving my hand hovering out in the air.

"Damn horse… Uh, don't worry, old man. I'll lead our men to victory!"

Hearing my words, the man's face was overcome with joy! Finally, someone stepped up to lead their failing country to victory! Soon, everyone would look at me like this, like some sort of saint…

'Wow. You are really delusional. I don't think the lavender is enough this time. Let's see… maybe juscha seeds will do the trick. Hey Drav, keep a lookout for some juscha seeds. We might be able to fix you if we get enough.'

This stupid system still seemed to think I was delusional. No matter how many times I tried to explain it to this knock off brand system, it refuses to believe that I am the main character. Now it has moved on from lavender and wants to force weird plants down my throat.

"Sil, can you just hush? Do you ever wonder why I named you Sil? Think for a moment… yea, the lowest denomination of currency in this country is sil. Just like you. Dollar store crap system. Don't talk unless you are needed."

While I was arguing with this useless system, the old instructor had finally finished admiring my brilliant figure.

"Alright kid, at least you're enthusiastic. And you have a horse. It's almost break time, so bring your horse to the stables and join the other kids. There isn't much time before we have to join the war, and training is tough. Be ready."

***

The stables were in a similar state as the rest of the city, as well as being nearly empty. A few old pack horses were locked in the stalls, their eyes following Appa and me lazily.

"Maybe you aren't such a bad horse, Appa. All these old things look like they can't walk a kilometer in one go!"

Appa snorted at me, dissatisfaction glooming in her eyes. I could almost hear her thoughts aloud.

"This idiot human dares compare me to these weak old fogies?!? Ha, see if I don't steal your apples again!"

This horse, it was so arrogant. Sure, if she was the main character, she would be warranted to act like this, but she isn't.

"You are a side character, Appa. I am the main character, so pipe down. You listen to me, not the other way around."

With this, I locked Appa into one of the stalls. I doubt that the horses here are well cared for, but that's not my problem now. It would be good for Appa to learn some humility.

Next up was eating with the rest of the child army. The first meeting between a future legendary commander and his loyal servants! I have to make a good impression, one that inspires my men and drives them to victory!

The kids finished training, so now it was time to eat. Back on earth, an army might eat at a mess hall or cafeteria. Perhaps it used to be like that, before Vosnan started losing so badly.

Now, the kids making up the army headed for the food stalls gathered near the training grounds to look for food. None of the kids had money, but they were still served with food.

The food stalls looked fun and lively, and the women running them all wore bright smiles.

The kids began to gather around the stalls, and the stall owners shouted out today's food menus.

"Half a piece of bread for each customer, limited to twenty! Come grab your delicious bread!"

"Five sunflower seeds per person, I have plenty for everyone!"

"One piece of venison per kid over here, Suse hunted a deer this morning, so it's a feast!"

The food given to the kids was rather… lacking. If I didn't pay attention to the quantities of food given, I might think that these kids were eating as well as anyone back on earth.

The 'piece of venison' that was harked to be a feast was tiny, just around the size of my little finger. It was no wonder that the kids were all malnourished if this is what they had to eat.

As for the vendors…

They had big, happy smiles on their faces, and all their words were cheery… but pain hid behind their smiles.

The happy looks on their faces were a cover, trying to cheer up the kids they were forcing off to war. I doubt it actually tricked the kids. Maybe a child from earth would be fooled, but these kids didn't get that kind life. Most of them would probably end up dead in a month or two.

'If this is the condition of the country, why doesn't Vosnan just surrender? Unless the defeat condition is something like genocide, it isn't worth sending away innocent children.'

Sil had always seemed a bit apathetic to human suffering, but even he felt a bit uneasy seeing children being sent to die.

"Well, it sucks, but I guess it's a good thing for me. Without proper command at the moment, it won't be hard for me to rise in the ranks. Fighting will be a problem though. I doubt the larger countries are in as bad of a state as Vosnan, so we will probably be fighting grown men. If we want to win, we'll have to fight dirty."

'And I suppose you will come to me for that, right? If you keep being a prick, you'll end up giving the enemies some tasty snacks instead of poison.'

Sil knows about almost every plant, and that includes the poisonous ones. This system that was useless in terms of making me stronger would finally be of some use- poisoning people to death.