A War Hero With No Regrets

18 – The Masked Prince (4)

Groups of people inevitably become corrupt.

It was no different from the military that had been waging a fierce battle for the survival of humanity.

Isn’t that the same for Luther Ethan, the former commander of Graveyard?

Even he, who was praised as a war hero, turned out to be a criminal who committed military corruption as if it were his food.

The content of the materials I reviewed while performing my duties as acting commander was truly absurd.

Archen immediately reported the matter to his superiors and at the same time reported it to the military prosecutor’s office and the military police.

Still, the higher-ups seemed reluctant to investigate since she was a war hero to the outside world, but the vast amount of evidence and detailed reports submitted by her as a prospective general were not something that could be easily dismissed.

-This is… It’s a bit serious.

-Thank you for your public interest complaint, Brigadier General. The Central Military Police will conduct a thorough investigation.

I would have already left the military gate.

There were no people willing to step forward for this person who was no longer a member of their family.

Where are the kind-hearted people gathered in the military?

They were just people struggling to move up by doing one more thing, and now that peace has arrived, their livelihood depends solely on their performance.

It was a while before the military police and military prosecutors cooperated to begin the investigation.

The newly appointed position of Brigadier General Argen Orca was none other than ‘Chief of Inspection’ under the Supreme Command.

Inspection.

It is said that he was appointed directly by the President.

-You actively reported the corruption of your superiors. I find your loyalty to the justice of the country and the county very beautiful.

-I will work hard, Mr. President.

Of course, there was no way Argen did not know that the Fuhrer was up to something.

If someone who was not interested during the war suddenly speaks out loud, suspicions arise that were not there before.

However, what the President said is not entirely wrong.

During more than 10 years of war, the entire army may have been transformed into an elite force, but its internal strength was seriously damaged compared to before the war.

In times like these, there needs to be someone like you who can make judgments calmly and objectively.

Argent With such thoughts in mind, I accepted the position of Director of the Inspection Office.

And the first thing she did after taking up her post as head of the inspection office was to finish the work of her Luthus Ethan with her own hands.

-Wait a minute, why is this charge missing here?

-Ah… That is….

-Didn’t you clearly tell me that you would conduct a thorough investigation? I can’t help but see this as dereliction of duty.

-The head of the military police said this to prosecutors’ investigators? This is a serious issue that can be viewed as external pressure.

The criminal activities of Luthers Ethan, which seemed like they would come to an end, were forcibly brought to light.

The military police and prosecutors were astonished to see him come and criticize them as soon as he was appointed as the head of the inspection office.

But wasn’t he a commander who went through hardships and hardships during the war?

There is no need to do it this way.

The investigation was so thorough that it could almost be said to have been driven by evil.

In the end, they got tired of it and allowed the investigation to proceed as Argen wanted, completely depriving war hero Luthers Ethan of all honors.

The deprived honors also included military pension.

Now Luthus had to work to survive.

He could be seen as a reasonable punishment for arbitrarily depriving the people of taxes and military funds during the war.

If possible, I wanted to go as far as detaining him, but other investigators stopped me, saying that was too much, so I didn’t do it.

Even though he may have committed corruption, it does not mean that the major achievements he made during the war were a lie.

Argen Orca also concluded its investigation at this point.

A war hero lost everything overnight, and he couldn’t be more miserable.

Just as Argen, who had successfully completed his first inspection mission, was about to begin his next inspection, he heard a commotion in the Eastern Military District.

When she found out, three days had already passed since the incident occurred.

Because it was an inspection schedule for the Western Military District, which is far from the East, news was slow.

The devastating news that her beloved younger brother was in a coma.

Without asking or questioning anything, Argen packed her bags and headed to the military hospital in charge of the Eastern Military District.

I arrived at the hospital after entrusting myself to a military transport plane and driving non-stop for three hours in a vehicle provided by a nearby air force base.

“Leah!!”

I rushed into the hospital room, my hair covered in sweat and flying, to find Leah Gilead sleeping quietly.

It wasn’t just Leah.

There was a doctor wearing a white coat and a woman wearing a black military uniform.

Doctor and Black Conqueror?

Argen’s heart sinks at the sight of her seemingly coming to pronounce a death sentence.

“… Who are you?”

“Ah, this is Brigadier General Argen Orca. My relationship with Leah is almost like sisters! “Leah, is Leah okay?!”

The doctor nodded her head as if she understood.

He answered Argen, who was stamping her feet impatiently.

“Fortunately, we have overcome the dangerous juncture. This is thanks to appropriate first aid being provided on time. Of course, his condition was not that good when he was transported, but now his condition has improved surprisingly quickly.”

“Ah….”

I felt relieved when I heard the news that I was safe.

Argen, who momentarily stumbled, struggled to correct his posture.

“For some reason, I am not regaining consciousness.”

“Well, is there something wrong with your health?”

“That’s not true, but in my personal opinion, it doesn’t seem to have any psychological effects. Or it could be a reaction to the rapid improvement in conditions.”

Argen looked at Leah.

She is Leah Gilliard, who had just as difficult a day as herself in the Grave Yard.

In particular, the sight of him crying so hard, almost sobbing when the unit was completely disbanded, was vivid.

Has the stress and fatigue that I’ve been suppressing for so long exploded due to this incident?

“But the first thing is stability, and the second thing is stability.”

“Thank you, teacher…” ! Thank you for saving Leah… !!”

“I just did my job. Then… “I’ll just go back now.”

The doctor passed Arhen with a kind smile.

Looking at the doctor’s reaction and attitude, it seems like there really isn’t a big problem.

Argen walked up to Leah as if he was fascinated by her, and looked at her sleeping soundly and chanted.

“Yes, Leah. “You’ve worked hard so far, so let’s take a break.”

I’m glad everything is okay.

After gathering her thoughts, Argen quickly turned her head and looked at the woman in black uniform who was silent.

“Who are you?”

It was my first time seeing a military uniform.

A pitch-black uniform with no gloss, as if it had been painted with ink.

Only the golden eagle ribbon hanging on her chest proves that she is a soldier of her empire.

In response to her Argen’s question, she opened her tightly closed mouth.

“This is Karin Maven from the Security Strategy Bureau.”

“Security Strategy Bureau… ?”

It was an organization I had heard of.

A new organization that I learned about after taking my new position as Director of the Inspection Office.

A strange agency that is subordinate to the Supreme Command, like the Inspector General’s Office, but is also directly under the President.

Could they have something to do with why Leia got shot?

“What is going on here in the Safety Bureau?”

A dry voice returned to Argen’s question.

“… Lieutenant Leah’s gunshot wound was sustained while she was protecting our personnel.”

“Are you Leah?”

“The director said that he received great help from Lieutenant Leah Gilliard, and asked him to pass this on to Brigadier General Arhen when he comes.”

It was a mechanical attitude, as if it was printing out the lines exactly as they were entered.

It was unknown as Karin’s rank was not disclosed, but even so, it is not something that should be said to a sitting general.

But somehow I feel uncomfortable and don’t even think about pointing it out.

She also knew in advance that she would come, didn’t she?

As her questions continued to rise, Argen took the paper bag she handed him.

“Then, since I have delivered the director’s message, I will return.”

“Yes? Wait a minute!”

Karin leaves without saying what she wants to say.

Argen tried to catch her in her panic, but Karin left her door and disappeared without even looking back.

It feels like I’m intentionally avoiding it.

But the moment she checked the inside of the paper bag that Karin Maven had handed over, Arhen could not help but be surprised.

A pair of syringes packaged in a seemingly luxurious case.

There was no way she didn’t know.

“This…” It’s a nanomachine treatment. It’s not possible because there are no high-ranking generals… How on earth… ?”

An extremely expensive treatment that, in theory, can bring back the dead.

In addition, enclosed in the case was a note with scrawled handwriting.

[I hope you find this useful in case something happens, Brigadier General Argen Orca. When Lieutenant Leah regains consciousness, please tell the captain that he is truly grateful for his help.]

“What…?” ?”

By the time Arhen rushed out of her hospital room, Karin Maven had already disappeared.

—-

I had a dream.

It’s too vivid to be a dream, but it feels as if something has floated to reality.

There, Leah saw a man looking at her lying on the bed.

He is as big as a bear.

Maybe it’s because his back is turned against the moonlight shining through the window, but his back looks much bigger.

He looked at himself quietly, then carefully swept his face.

And then, tears start to flow beneath the mask.

Without making any sound or movement.

The transparent tears flowing down my cheeks sparkled in the moonlight.

If you think about it, a man with whom he has no knowledge is touching his own body.

If that wasn’t enough, he even cried while looking at himself.

It would be natural to feel creepy.

Leah was crying along with him without realizing it.

I feel like I can remember that warm feeling.

At the last moment, it was like the feeling he had been longing for.

I wanted to tell you not to cry and that I was sorry.

I promised I wouldn’t leave you behind, but in the end I wanted to apologize for leaving you first.

The man and woman were unable to face each other and were just crying and holding their breath.

The first person to break the silence was a man wearing a mask.

“Leah, I decided not to have any more regrets. Therefore-.”

“I hope we never meet like this again. Live happily and proudly. Forget about me and be your bright self as always.”

The masked man slowly took off his mask and stood up.

Leah quickly stretched out her hand.

But the more he stretched out his hand and the more he moved his steps, the further away he somehow became.

In that case, he hoped that at least his voice would reach him.

Don’t leave me behind.

There is no need to leave now, so please come find me again.

I know how selfish it is to ask you to throw away the burden you are carrying.

But can you stay by my side again?

There were a lot of things I wanted to say, but even that wasn’t allowed to Leah.

The very moment when I cried out of frustration in a reality where no words came out.

The man who was looking at himself lying on the bed turned his head.

At the same time.

“… Ostrich!! Have you come to your senses!? Oh my god!! I’m so glad, I’m so glad… !!”

Leah Gilliard opened her eyes.