A War Hero With No Regrets

42 – Old Friends (3)

“What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”

Argen felt as if her head was getting cold.

“What was she thinking when she did that? No matter how much, no matter what….”

The tears that fell from Leah’s eyes drenched the table.

“Why… ? What’s going on, Leah? “Did I do something wrong?”

Leah Gilead clenched her fists as she reacted as if she didn’t understand what was going on.

Should I tell you now?

But it wasn’t just the Argentine Orca.

Drake Brown, who is right next to him, is a comrade who has fought by Luthus’ side every time he returns.

What about Heinz and others?

When the truth was revealed, they headed to the Graveyard and contacted Akasha.

It was obvious what the reaction would be.

You will probably suffer like yourself.

Argen Orca, who threw her lover into her hole with her own hands… She really didn’t know she was going to commit suicide.

They were two people who could not live without killing each other.

Although she was now so distorted by the absence of her memories, it was clear that the moment she regained those memories, Arhen would throw her body from the top of the Graveyard without hesitation.

That shouldn’t be the case.

If this is the Lutheran Ethan Leah knew, she will be deeply saddened by his death.

She might blame herself again and take her own life.

She said it was because she did not restore her memories.

If that happens, how will Luthus act in the next episode?

Maybe.

Leah may lose her memories of him forever.

Perhaps Luthus will realize at that point that there was something in his relationship with Akasha.

When the next episode begins, he will be hated by everyone just like this time, and then all his memories will be deleted and he will disappear.

‘No.’

Just imagining that scene made me feel an unbearable pain in her torn chest.

‘No, no, no, no, no, no, absolutely not. ‘I’m scared, I’m scared, no, no, no!!’

I’m afraid.

I’m really afraid that will happen.

He was afraid that all the memories of walking with him would disappear into the past, a place he could no longer remember.

I am afraid that even the last knot that connects me to Luther Ethan will be severed.

I had to stop it.

Leah pulled herself together.

“… Ah.”

“Leah!”

As she jumps up from her seat, Argen, very embarrassed, reaches out for her hand.

“W-what’s going on… Sorry, I was wrong. Huh? After all, he was the commander… “He must have been a very important person to you, so I’m sorry for speaking arbitrarily.”

No.

He is not a very precious person.

He was someone I could give my all to.

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He was someone I could sacrifice my life for.

It was the same for you too.

You could have died for that person too.

You stayed by Luther’s side harder than anyone else.

Even though his arm was cut off and his eyeball was gouged out, you were the one who tried to reassure the man that he was okay.

Words that I could not yet say begin to wriggle in my heart.

But I cannot say.

If you tell him, he won’t understand, and if Argen finds out about the past through your words, there will be no turning back.

It was enough for him to suffer.

She didn’t hate Argen.

She actually liked her more than anyone else and followed her like her own sister.

That’s why she can’t even speak.

I was afraid of what Luthus would look like when he saw her collapse.

She was afraid that she might reveal her anger towards Leah herself.

And… I don’t think I can forgive myself for completely ruining Luthus’s plan, as he went to great lengths to think of us.

“… “It’s not like that.”

Leah looked at Argen with a sad expression, and then she quickly left the restaurant.

The atmosphere that had been friendly just a moment ago suddenly froze.

Argen was unable to continue what she was saying and just stared blankly in the direction where Leah had disappeared.

***

It should have been a fruitful day for her.

She definitely should have done that.

Are they nice people to meet after a few months?

She had been unable to sleep at night for two days at the thought of reuniting with her old friends and comrades whom she had heard about in life and death.

But everything was ruined.

“Ha….”

Arhen came into the Beetle Beetle dorm and buried her face in her bed.

Was bringing up the story about Luther Ethan the cause of the problem?

In fact, there was no other correct answer.

It was from then on that Leah’s mood began to completely change.

“….”

In fact, she didn’t hate Luther’s Ethan from the beginning.

She actually respected him, and even though it was embarrassing, she even had a crush on him at one point.

Not only was he promoted to a warrant officer less than two years after his commission, but he was also the person who turned the Graveyard into an invincible fortress.

This was impossible unless you were a genius.

And for Argen, who is just an ordinary person who works hard no matter what, Luther’s Ethan was a majestic mountain range and a teacher to follow.

Of course, contrary to her imagination, the Luthus she met for the first time was a very blunt man.

He did not give his heart to others easily, and even clashed with Drake Brown, a classmate he was once close with, at every turn.

I was momentarily taken aback by his appearance, which was completely different from the image I had expected.

The evaluation of Luther Ethan quickly fell into the abyss.

-Sacrifice the 2nd Company.

-What do you mean? Why are you deploying troops here? What about the 2nd company!!

-You will be able to endure. Clearly.

It was an unfounded claim.

In the end, the 2nd Company, nearly driven to the brink, was able to survive after a desperate fight, but as many as 25 members were seriously injured and were evacuated to the rear.

Those with several fingers cut off are nobles.

Some people lost their legs, and others had hearing or vision damage and had to live with disabilities for the rest of their lives.

-What are you doing?! I was able to save it. They were able to send everyone back safely!!!

-Don’t be caught up in personal feelings. What actually happened, didn’t it go as I said? If the 2nd Company had not been isolated and all available troops had been used as relief troops, it would have been surrounded and annihilated.

The claim that there will be a large-scale ambush by Titans in an abandoned city area that is dozens of kilometers away from the main battle line.

The fortress intelligence department strongly protested, saying that this could not be done, but Lutus Ethan carried out the operation, even going as far as disobeying orders.

This was the result.

Forty-two casualties.

Of course, there actually was an ambush.

However, most of them were fluid titans that did not pose much of a threat when discovered early on, and their numbers were not very large.

There was no reason to steal reinforcements while putting the entire 2nd Company in danger.

And Luther’s Ethan continued this type of operation.

At a time when each person was important, a person called the commander would suddenly leave the room and then reappear.

At that time, Argen took the baton instead and supported the front line.

Luthus deployed his troops in unexpected places to exploit the opponent’s weaknesses – he demonstrated a commanding style that was almost like gambling.

On the other hand, Argen had a standard conducting style that seemed to have been copied directly from the manual.

Luthus’ method may work in anomalous attacks, but Argen’s command method is much more effective in general situations.

Thanks to this, the military performance of the Luthus and Argentine units increased day by day, but the gap between commanders and practitioners was hardly narrowed.

Later, the soldiers came to follow Argen more than Luther.

It is not for nothing that people say he was a reclusive loner.

Still, Argentina made its own efforts.

He also calmed down the soldiers who were gossiping about Luther.

In any case, isn’t it an insult to one’s superiors?

It was an action that could be thoroughly punished under military law.

Whenever his superiors became angry at Luther’s reckless actions, Argen stepped forward and bowed his head in his place.

Argen was a person who knew how to distinguish between public and private matters.

Despite her dislike, Lutus was her immediate superior and the man she had a duty to assist.

If he fails to perform his duties appropriately, it is up to him, as his deputy, to do so.

And sometimes, when he seemed to be having a really, really hard time, to the point of growing peas in a drought, I took care of him without anyone knowing.

-… Don’t do something like this again.

-I don’t want to do it either, right? But how can it happen again? Even if it’s my boss who can’t fight even for a single day, it’s still my boss.

-Thank you.

-What? What did you just say, again! I didn’t hear you!?

-Always… Thank you, Argent….

I still haven’t forgotten the memories of that time.

The Lutheran Ethan she knew could not be said to be a bad person.

How on earth could a bad person set his ultimate goal as complete victory over the Titans and the salvation of humanity?

Then when did things go wrong?

Maybe… There may have been a chance to understand him.

Of course, at that time I had no experience yet and had not clearly experienced the horrors of the battlefield.

If, as he said, I had seen the battlefield situation from Luthus’ perspective instead of being caught up in personal emotions, I would have been able to understand him at all.

The Argentine Orca was unknown.

“Leah….”

She recalled the face of her junior, glaring at her with eyes she had never seen before in her life.

So, did Leah understand the man differently than she did?

I didn’t know that either.

All I can do for now is to gather my troubled mind.

In the end, the story that happened tonight will not be resolved until tomorrow morning.

She buried her face on her pillow again.

“Makeup… I need to erase it….”

My body was heavy.

***

Leah Gilead ran out of the bar in a fit of rage and was walking aimlessly through the night streets of the capital.

At first, she was frustrated and couldn’t bear it so she ran away.

But when she was hit by the cold wind, her thoughts and emotions began to sink.

She said

She said she shouldn’t.

She was the only one who regained her memories, but she said harsh words to Arhen under the influence of alcohol after drinking for the first time in a long time.

‘… ‘Why did you do that, Leah?’

Leah patted her chest and blamed herself.

She was born with a soft and finite personality.

The look in Argen’s eyes that she had seen just before she ran out continued to linger before her eyes.

“Tomorrow… I should apologize….”

Today’s matter could have been resolved to any extent.

The situation was a situation, so if you explain it well, you will be able to get over it without much trouble.

It was then.

“Whoa, whoa…” Ostrich! Were you here…? !!”

Something huge came running out of the alley, breathing heavily.

Shwaaak!

Before she could even understand what was going on, Leah’s legs moved first.

Imperial Army’s anti-personnel fighting techniques.

I don’t remember how many episodes it was, but it was a fighting technique I learned from Luthus Ethan after I was almost kidnapped by a gang.

“Mwaaagh!?”

“D-Drake!?”

A kick that narrowly misses the face.

If Leah, who belatedly recognized her opponent, had not changed her angle, it would have hit her right on the chin.

The victim, who almost suffered an assault on a different night, could only express admiration for his agile movements.

“Wow, are you crazy!? When did you learn this? “It’s the imperial army’s fighting technique, right?”

“Ah… Well, I learned a little bit from the Eastern Military District….”

“Your posture is perfect, but your breathing is a little lacking. I guess he is a military official in the eastern part of the country. Come back to learn from me later.”

Drake Brown said, brushing off his shoulder where his foot had passed.

“So, that’s why you came looking for me?”

“Then of course! Then I ran out, how could you not find me? “I looked for it because I was worried.”

Leah Gilliard became extremely embarrassed at the sight of Drake smiling cheerfully, as if he didn’t even remember the situation from before.

It was because she felt like she was somehow foolish.

“But what on earth is going on? “Did you have anything to do with Commander Luthus Ethan?”

“It’s not like that. Just….”

Leah held her breath for a moment and then let it out.

“I feel sorry for that person.”

“Umm… I see. It’s a pity. Still, he was a hero in his own way, but he was not treated well and was kicked out of the military.”

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Drake nodded his head as if he understood everything.

“So, Leah, I have something to tell you.”

“Yes? “What do you want to say?”

“I’m telling you this because I don’t think you have any ill feelings toward Commander Luthus Ethan. Don’t tell other kids. Okay? “It’s a promise.”

Wait a minute.

What does this mean?

Leah Gilead was dumbfounded.

That mysterious atmosphere, that hesitant tone of speech.

No way.

Her heart started pounding.

Drake did not seem to know that her heart was agitated like crazy, so he just continued her words.

“Well, I saw Luther’s Ethan at the last summit.”

“Huh?!”

Drake added with a smile, as if he was finally relieved, as Leah asked back with an expression that made her look as if she had been hit on the head.

“Now I live with all my identities washed. “I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”

The moment she heard those last words, Leah Gilliard literally felt goosebumps all over her body.

“It’s called the Security Strategy Bureau, and he’s the director there.”