pjbooks Chapter 731 - 731: 731: Memories
Chapter 731 - 731: 731: Memories
"Who... am I?"The Marine soldier opened his eyes again, waking from the same dream that had haunted him countless times. His gaze was unfocused as he stared at the unfamiliar surroundings.
A question surfaced in his mind, heavy and unavoidable.
Who was he?
He truly did not know.
Was he the child of a fisherman's family? The one whose ancestral fishing boat, passed down for three generations, was destroyed by a Celestial Dragon's escort ship simply because they had unknowingly crossed its path? Left crippled and drifting in the sea, only to be devoured by fish in the end.
Or was he the eldest son of a destitute family, forced by war to flee into a nation under the protection of the World Government?
In that life, he had been responsible from a young age, working the fields alongside his frail parents. Ninety percent of their harvest was seized by the state, and from the little that remained, the landowner claimed most of it.
Hunger became a constant companion.
Malnutrition slowly consumed his parents, who always ate the least. Eventually, they died, leaving him behind.
With their deaths, everything fell apart.
The landowner reclaimed the fields, leaving him without work or purpose. One by one, his younger siblings starved to death, their lives slipping away in silence.
In the end, desperation drove him to join the Revolutionary Army. He fought not for glory, but for survival, for a chance to eat and to live.
For the first time in his life, he tasted a warm, filling meal.
And he cried.
If only his parents were still alive. If only his siblings could have shared that moment.
But that fragile peace did not last.
In battle against the Marines, he was cut down by an unstoppable Marine Admiral.
"How dare you join a rebel organization like the Revolutionary Army!"
The Admiral's voice was filled with conviction as he slaughtered his squad without hesitation.
"Justice will prevail!"
Those were the last words he heard before darkness claimed him.
...
For some reason, those words felt familiar.
As though he had once spoken them himself.
"Yes, I will protect Saint Jalmack with my life!"
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself reborn as a Marine once more.
This time, he held the rank of Rear Admiral.
He had been assigned to escort a Celestial Dragon, Saint Jalmack.
At first, it was nothing more than another mission.
Until he saw it.
By accident, he entered a private banquet hosted by Saint Jalmack.
What he found inside shattered everything.
The feast laid before them was not made of ordinary food.
It was people.
Infants. Children. Adults.
Prepared as delicacies.
The nobles and kings gathered there showed no hesitation, no disgust. They devoured the meal with smiles, indulging themselves without restraint.
"Blegh!"
His stomach churned violently.
"Who is there? Protect the Lord!"
The guards reacted instantly as his presence was discovered.
"Oh, it is the Marine Rear Admiral assigned to protect me."
Saint Jalmack turned to him, his expression casual, almost amused.
"This is a newborn selected from across the seas, born under special conditions. Quite delicious. You should try some."
The invitation was delivered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
His expression hardened.
"I refuse."
His voice carried both anger and disbelief.
"I will report this to Marine Headquarters."
For a brief moment, silence filled the hall.
Then, Saint Jalmack looked at him differently.
Like prey.
"Sympathy?" he mused. "What does that taste like? I have never eaten such a thing before."
The words sent a chill down his spine.
Before he could react, the guards restrained him.
Cold steel pierced his abdomen.
He could feel everything.
The pain. The helplessness.
A chef stepped forward, working with practiced efficiency, preparing his body as though it were nothing more than another ingredient.
Even as his vision blurred, even as death approached, he was forced to watch.
A dish was placed before Saint Jalmack.
His own heart.
Freshly prepared.
Crunch.
Saint Jalmack cut into it, took a bite, and chewed slowly.
Then he frowned.
"Pah. Not tasty."
The words echoed in his fading consciousness.
His eyes remained wide open, filled with grief and fury.
And just like that, his life ended once more.
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