Chapter 5 Short Dagger

After drinking for a while, they began to talk about their hometown. Locke could tell that Uncle Joshak was missing his two sons, and he was teaching Locke some attitudes and manners to do things. Locke was also very touched by Uncle Joshak's friendship, and he often treated himself a junior and toasted Uncle Joshak. Locke had an impression of Uncle Joshak's two sons. When he first joined the army, Uncle Joshak's eldest son inherited Uncle Joshak's blacksmith shop, and his youngest son was a small assistant working in the blacksmith shop. The youngest son forged Locke's first weapon, a short dagger.

This short dagger had no wooden handle, only the end of the knife was wrapped in a rough linen cloth as the hilt. The short dagger was small and thin, always hidden in his boots. It also had a story.

When he secretly joined the army when he was 14 years old, he only brought this short dagger with him. At that time, a boy with a palm-sized dagger joined the army and became the laughing point. Originally, he could not join the army because he did not have any relatives to recommend him. However, Locke had become familiar with Mineton since he was a child. Joshak, the captain of the second team at that time, recognized little Locke. This former blacksmith had seen little Locke. In fact, this small town only had more than a thousand people, and everyone saw each other very often. Other than half of the women, and nearly half of the old and weak, there were only two or three hundred young men who could join the army. Everyone knew who would join the army.

Furthermore, Locke's dagger was made by his son, Little Joshak. He recognized it at the first glance. When Locke secretly joined the army, his parents did not know that. Only his sister knew. On that hot night, Locke secretly got up, took his hemp clothes, and left their thatched cottage in straw shoes. Perhaps his sister knew his brother, or maybe the sound made by Locke woke his sister up. When Locke had just left not far away, his sister Leah caught up with Locke.

She knew in her heart why her younger brother wanted to leave secretly. He wanted to earn money to ease the burden of the family, so he wanted to join the army! In order not to let his family starve to death in the drought, in order to prevent himself from being sold to merchants, his younger brother decided to secretly join the army despite his parents’ objection. Once he was admitted into the army, he could not leave without permission! Unless he was a deserter, but this was impossible for his family was still here. Therefore, even if their parents found out about it later, they could only accept this reality. Moreover, after Locke joined the army and went to the front line, he would have military pay. His father was too old and weak. He could not respond to Baron's call to join the army. Only Locke's age was just suitable. For this family, Locke decided to risk his life.

Looking at her stubborn younger brother, Locke's sister, Leah, could not help but cry. Tears rolled down from her face. The 14-year-old Locke was ambitious and brave. He was not afraid of anything and could endure anything, but he could not see his sister cry. He loved his sister more than he loved himself. Under Locke's helpless comfort and persuasion, Leah gradually stopped crying. The tears made this malnourished and thin girl look even more beautiful. She looked at her brother and took out more than 20 ducases. This was all of Leah's money. She said to Locke in a daze, "Come back alive!"

Locke took the 20 copper coins that his sister gave him and walked through the night until he reached Mineton in the morning. He used the only money he had to go to Mineton's blacksmith shop, hoping to forge a convenient weapon. However, at that time, the blacksmith shop owner, Uncle Joshak's eldest son, told him that he could not even afford a sword hilt. Just as Locke left the blacksmith shop in disappointment, a child of the same age as him rushed out of the blacksmith shop. Because he sympathized or wanted to earn some extra money, he said to Locke, "With 20 ducases, I will use the leftover copper ore and iron ore to make a dagger for you. Deal?" Then he pointed to two or three inconspicuous stones at the door of the blacksmith shop.

Locke looked at the pile of yellowish-brown and crimson stones that were smaller than fists. After a moment of hesitation, he could only agree helplessly. After all, he still did not know the situation of the military camp. He had to have a weapon. Otherwise, why would he join the army? Was he going to be bullied?

So Locke had his first weapon, a short dagger without a scabbard or a hilt. Holding this short dagger that was not much bigger than his palm, Locke was just old enough to join the army. The next day, Locke's parents hurried to the town with his sister. Seeing Locke training in the military camp with everyone, Elder Locke and his wife could only sigh with tears in their eyes and accept this reality. This was also the sorrow of poor civilians. Under the natural disaster, human power was of little use. Locke family had been poor for generations. They left three big chestnuts for Locke. Locke knew that these were made by his parents with all the food left in their family. For the next half a year, they could only eat tree bark.

Locke's sister took off the linen wrapped in her long hair and handed it to Locke. She still said to him, "Come back alive!" In the evening, Locke's sister supported her parents, who had aged a lot in a day, to walk back to Mapleville. Locke held the fragrant linen in his hand tightly and carefully kept it. He prepared to wrap it around the dagger and carry the love of his sister to fight.

Looking at the back of his parents and sister, Locke swore that he would come back alive. From then on, Locke began his two-month military training life. He desperately followed the captain to train. Age was his disadvantage as well as his advantage. He recovered faster than an adult. It was also at that time that he discovered that his neighbor, Little Hans, who had been playing with him, had also joined the army. However, he joined the army for food. After two months of training, Locke and the others rushed to the battlefield.

This short dagger was the real portrayal of Locke when he had just joined the army, which was young but sharp, full of potential. Locke's short dagger witnessed Locke's past life which was close to death time and time again. After the inferior iron sword sent by the army broke in the first battle, he used this short dagger to kill his first enemy, a janissary of the Karlian Kingdom at 14 or 15 years old. He had vomited for an entire day after that battle. However, after that battle, Locke seized a bad-quality spear and a pair of short boots.

In the subsequent battles, Locke's weapon was broken and changed until it became his current equipment. However, his dagger was not broken. Perhaps it was because he maintained it well, or maybe it was because Joshak's youngest son was very skilled. His dagger grew along with him. Now the linen cloth wrapped around the hilt had shed its former color and turned blood red. It was his blood and the enemy's blood. Locke often took out his short dagger and looked at it. From the rough linen, Locke seemed to smell the fragrance of his sister again.

The ale reminded Uncle Joshak of his son. It also reminded Locke of the origin of his dagger, his sister, and his parents. They almost finished the second bottle of ale. The ale of Green Palm Tavern was not good, but it had some after-effects. Two bottles of ale could not make the two drunk, but it made the two become sentimental.

After drinking the last cup of ale, Uncle Joshak suggested leaving. It was late and almost dinner time. Green Palm Tavern did not provide food. They still had to go back to the camp. Uncle Joshak also had to go back to the camp to eat with Baron and the others. Locke would also have patrol duty at night. "Uncle, let's go." Locke stood up and helped Uncle Joshak pick up his clothes.

After walking out of the private room, they were still sentimental because of the homesickness. As an old fox, Joshak quickly adjusted his mood and joked with Locke to liven up the atmosphere. "You are 18 years old. Are you still a virgin? I think this lady boss is beautiful." As he said this, he even smiled at Locke.

"Uncle, don't joke around. Do you think she likes me? Isn't her husband quite capable? He can make an acquaintance with Baron." Locke was also amused by this joke. The sadness in his heart faded a lot. He did not know much about the tavern owner. But he could think in the term of the big picture must not be simple.

"Hey, he's just an opportunist, a clown. Baron didn't care about him." Uncle Joshak clearly had a deeper understanding of this bar owner. Not just him had such a view. "A poor guy." Locke sighed in his heart at this bar owner whom he had never met before. It seemed that the higher-ups in the camp did not like this guy who had surrendered early. Then Locke remembered the beautiful lady boss. Perhaps it was the influence of alcohol, and he suddenly became excited.

Locke was indeed not a virgin. In his second year in the army, he was promoted to a third-class soldier after surviving a large-scale battle. At that time, other than sending money to his family, Locke saved some spare money every month. Under the encouragement of his comrades, he went to the armory to settle his sexual desire. Perhaps it was because he was still a child in his heart that he was most interested in the woman older than him. Of course, he would not admit it. In fact, Rock subconsciously thought that among the women he met, the most beautiful one was his sister. But every time he had this idea, he forced himself to calm down and slapped himself.