IV a Lesson

"I've been wondering for such a long time now... Why is Naturvege so loyal to me. Because I'm a 'lord?' This man has lost it. But whatever the case... This is good for me and my own sanity."

The townsmen were fairly terrified of Hierd, seeing his live-action demonstration of the so called 'Kar98k' made their interpretations of the lord of a faraway country much more concerning. 'Is he a dictator?' One said. 'Is he going to kill us for knowing their country's power?' Yet another said: 'he's a lord! And he's going to protect our town.' All talk had simmered down shortly after that remark.

"That may be indeed." Said in chorus, men of the village.

From past the chief's house and onto the dirt path; Hierd walked with a blank face and a tremoring hand. 

"fifty untrained footmen? Fifty untrained footmen that had (I think) survived and had beat the other year's Aufer-- Aufer something, I forgot."

He opened the cabin's door, a pile of twenty-five Kar98k were on the floor, the same ones he was supposed to give the footmen. A sigh, before saying; "Give me twenty-five more Kar98ks with a fixed bayonet and a leather strap..."

[REQUEST GRANTED: 25 KAR98K W/ FIXED BAYONET W/ LEATHER STRAP]

A blink, and like magic, or rather, like the world was paused for him only, twenty-five fully decked-out Kar98ks were there, ready to be picked-up. "Now, what to do about those soldiers..."

There was a lot of waiting, five? Four hours? What ever of it, he slept like a baby! Ignoring what bugs could've entered the cabin or of the importance he carried with.

A knock, it rocked Hierd's cabin about five times, the fifth one being much more softer. The fourth kicked Hierd awake, which was sleeping on the bed. "O' lord!?" Shouted someone.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming!" He kicked himself off the bed with a simple jolt of the legs, put on his leather boots and opened the door. "Alrife?" He questioned, adjusting his eyes to his surroundings, his brain then woke up. "Ah, Alrife have they finished?"

"Yes O' lord. They have. And are now waiting for you and your lesson." 

 "Lesson?" He forgets, but he then remembers; "LESSON!? I SLEPT THE WHOLE TIME THEY WERE TRAINING! SHISSE!" 

"Lord, Hierd?" Alrife eagerly awaited an answer from the 'lord,' of which had multiple droplets of sweat dropping from his face.

"Let us go." 

A brisk walk, it was quite scenic, in a way. There was so much green grass, a rarity in the city, the urban sprawl of buildings he thinks he lived in, in the past, or of the past that he has forgotten long ago. Hazy, such memories.

The field was lit up bright with the footmen all gathered around where the lights were brightest and where the chief was visible. Alrife went toward Naturvege, whilst Hierd had impatiently put himself at the front of the platoon of footmen.

"Good Evening, footmen!" 

The crowd of footmen seemed uninterested in whatever Hierd was to say, they were exhausted, very much so. In response to that, Hierd flicked his finger. A signal, the flick had called upon Alrife's wagon.

"As per request, O' lord. The wagon you requested from the back of the cabin."

It was covered in a large old-white cloth, it was just mere seconds later that the footmen had smelt; "Food!"

"Yes! Footmen, Food!" Hierd said in a ploy to persuade. "Eat and drink to your heart's content." 

Hierd and Alrife together had lifted the white veil and then came a booming smell of scalloped potatoes. Along with it, cold water, bottled already in canteens. Alrife, Naturvege, the footmen, they were all suprised, with the smell making them hungrier by the second.

Before he could let the footmen touch even a small portion of it, he said; "I will be serving you all, so please be orderly and line-up." Not even a second later, the whole platoon of footmen were driven by hunger and lined so orderly that Hierd did not even need to say what'd happen if it wasn't orderly. He noticed that Alrife and Naturvege were there too at the end of the line.

"I prepared five pots worth of food!" Yelled Hierd, "I will leave a dish for your families too!" 

A great shout filled the air, it was indescernable, but Hierd knew that their morale was up and their moods were lifted. And hopefully, they trusted him much more than before.

"This food looks great!" One said, after tasting it he then said; "And its tastes amazing!"

Everyone agreed to that one's statements, the food was hot and delicious, nothing like the village's meals, it had a sort of 'kick' to it unlike theirs. 

Hierd had, one-by-one gave every footmen a canteen with cold water and a large serving of scalloped potatoes, each-and-every one of the footmen were beyond delighted, tasting it, and recieving cold water after a hard day of training.

It took an hour for all of them to be fully reinvigorated back into sense after the five hours of panting and jogging they had to endure. 

The footmen were done with the second pot, and all were full, all were energetic enough to talk and walk around like their five hour excersize was a thing of the past. But, noticing the lively environment, Hierd decided to call on the chief, which was himself chatting-up whilst eating the delicious food Hierd had procured. "Chief Naturvege!" 

Naturvege had immidiately got-up and walked rather jovial towards him. "Yes, Lord?"

"They look full already, energetic too..." He looked onto the crowd before continuing; "Line them up in columns of five."

Extrapolating from Hierd's serious tone, he followed it as swiftly as he heard it. "Yes."

"From the many of them, I've noticed that there aren't many 'hardened' men here. But there are few who looked skilled enough to hold and fire accurately a gun for the first time. They'll be the first ones for tommorow... That being said; that Naturvege guy works fast..." He said whilst looking at the swiftly-created formation of footmen aranged in a matter as orderly as did when they were first hungry.

When it finished, Hierd had stood in the front of them; "Tommorow shall mark the first day where you will get the Kar98k-" 

The platoon sounded excited.

"But!" He exclaimed, "The gun, the one you will get tommorow. Lose it and you shall face punishment of the greatest magnitude! Lose your gun, damage your gun, and your face will turn unrecognizable infront of your family!" 

The platoon grimaced, their jovialness from before, gone.

"The days of revival, you will be afraid, you will think of your family, you will think of the ones you love most in the front lines of battle. It will not weaken you, nigh it will strengthen you! Cherish your loved ones, the ones who live beside you, not only your family, friends, but every single man who sleep in this village. This all, will be your lesson. To love all whom you see. To thank all who help you, and to help all who need it. These 'values' without it, I will not see you as a fellow man who holds the blade into battle to protect their loved ones. But rather a coward."

"I think I got them..."

They understood. Seeing the atmosphere lighten, Hierd continued.

"To the men who I will point this day, shall be the ones to command and lead a team of ten."

They all murmured. "Leaders!?" 

"Commanders!?"

"Can I become one?"

"If one objects or if I see evidence that dismay your position, immidiately are you to be demoted and shunned. Punished, so to speak. I will not accept dirty men in this platoon."

Hierd first points towards the most muscular of all the men. "You. Name?" 

He wasn't suprised in the slightest and immidiately answered; "I am Heduc, lord."

Hierd smiled, "You will command the column which you stand in."

Then Hierd pointed to the first in-line of the 2nd column. "You. Name?"

A woman, she seemed to be one of five women who were 'enlisted.' "I--I... I am... Jeane... lord..." She trembled in her speech." 

"You will command the column of which you stand in."

Hierd pointed to the third column's middle man. "You. What is your name?"

A man, one that was less bulkier than the first, he was joival in his achiving a position. His friends beside him were cheering for him for being chosen a leader. "I am... Gelmund, lord."

"You will command your column."

Hierd pointed to the fourth column's last man. "You. Name."

A slimmer, more child-like teen. He was obviously suprised that he got the position, but Hierd took into account the weakness of the fourth column and saw that he; "Verdel, lord..." Was most fit out of all of them. 

He then skipped over to the last column, the fifth. 

"I shall command the fifth one, as the fifth looks to have the most fit inside. But know that as days shall pass, I will make sure that all are fed and all are physically fit enough to train and to be known a footman."

The footmen cheered for their column's leader. And too at Hierd for his helping of their village.

"To all of the ones I had chosen. You shall awake earlier than the rest. And shall have to come to the chief's house for debriefing. I expect your presence early and not late. You will lose your position if you are too late." Seeing the men, carrying the hot containers of food and their emptied canteens, and too their eyes that wanted sleep after a long day. He said; "Thank you everyone! You can now go." 

They hailed their appreciation and left, leaving the chief and Alrife behind.

"Lord, we thank you for your generosity. But I would like to question where and how did you get such food?" Asked Alrife

Hierd looked at him, "I would rather not say."

"Really... Its like magic... I don't even know how it happens..."

"Please rest, for I will too. Tommorow's going to be another long day for all of you."