A War Hero With No Regrets

4 – New Acquisition (3)

Glug, glug, glug.

Transparent glass filled with semi-transparent amber liquor.

Valentine 30 years.

It’s a premium whiskey brand known for its high-quality products, but this was one of the best.

Luthoris Edan looked silently at the glass of wine.

“There’s no such thing in Graveyard. You wouldn’t have come without attending the victory ceremony, would you?”

Commander Arthur Phillias.

Just sitting, one can feel the maturity and charisma of a seasoned soldier.

Luthoris bowed his head, took the whiskey glass from Arthur and took a sip in one go.

Is this really an expensive drink?

It feels hot and at the same time, soft and sweet.

Then, Commander Arthur Phillias shouted in surprise.

“No, you… What if you drink it like this? It’s not like drinking beer, and if you keep pouring it…!”

“Well… I….”

Arthur looked at Luthoris, who was enjoying his drink, and bit his lip.

Luthoris Edan.

He had heard rumors about him several times.

The newly appointed officer in Graveyard was said to be advancing his career at an alarming speed.

They said he had risen from a lowly ensign to a major in just a few years.

In fact, rapid advancement was not an unusual thing in the Empire Army.

Titan was a powerful force.

Even with relentless aerial bombardment and endless supply of tanks and infantry, the soldiers kept pouring out.

Those who fell in war, not just soldiers, were scattered on the ground like alcohol poured on the floor.

There was no reason to count the years of service in such a situation.

Especially for Arthur Phillias, who was far from rigid authority and authoritarianism, it was even worse.

“Why did you call me?”

Luthoris Edan looked straight at Arthur and said.

When asked about what kind of reward he wanted at the time of victory, Luthoris answered with retirement.

There was no intention of entering the political arena as a war hero.

Nor was there any plan to occupy a position in a military supply company and amass a vast fortune.

He just wanted to retire.

He wanted to disappear into a place where no one knew and live quietly.

At first, Arthur was surprised. But he could understand it.

The war had taken too much from them. People were falling and giving up on themselves, and that was not different after the victory.

What they should do after their goals were achieved was the problem.

Maybe, War Hero Luthoris was also stuck in such a dilemma.

However, Arthur Phillias had no intention of letting the strategist and excellent soldier in front of him go without a fight.

So, he decided to persuade him.

“Have you heard of Fort Vivid Lake?”

Rutherford nodded.

The forbidden lake.

It was not much different from Graveyard Fort, one of the frontline forts.

Many people died there.

There was a reason for the transformation from the poetic name Emery Lake to the manly name Fort Vivid Lake.

“That was originally the fort I was in charge of.”

“Was it?”

Arthur slowly tapped his glass as he spoke.

“After becoming the supreme commander, I didn’t pay attention to it, but I heard that it was attacked and destroyed by Titan’s concentrated attack.”

“… It’s always like this.”

“It’s a war.”

The same end that Rutherford led during a few retreats was also met by Graveyard Fort.

“Since then, I have been managing it as my direct fortress. It’s completely destroyed, so no one said anything.”

“It’s not for nothing that each fort is densely connected.”

If a fort is destroyed and fails to destroy the forts around it, Titan cannot enter the human territory.

“Hmm.”

Arthur put down his glass and said.

“You’re going there, aren’t you?”

“Going to the destroyed fort? What are you going to do?”

“We need to prepare for a new future.”

Determination and confidence were evident in his eyes as he looked at Rutherford.

After having gone through several retreats, Rutherford knew what the supreme commander wanted to say.

“As the defeat of Titan becomes certain, the situation of the surrounding countries starts to change little by little.”

It was not just them who were fighting against Titan.

On the day that had passed 4 years since the war started, the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that was deployed on a long-range reconnaissance mission detected an artificial signal beyond the mountain range.

There was a neighboring country that was thought to be destroyed.

The Bosnian Republic.

The Svarog Federation.

The Kingdom of Wales, and so on.

All were suffering from damage inflicted by Titan, but due to that.

The burden of bearing the front was somewhat reduced.

Even so, it was only natural that the affairs of each country that were resting at the bottom of the sea started to rise slowly.

“It seems that there is already a rumor about the division of territories conquered by Titan.”

“… It’s getting complicated.”

Lutherus sighed deeply at Arthur’s words.

“How could I have returned to such peace, only to have it disrupted by a mere snowfall on that land?

“So, you want me to stand up to a dispute with them? Train soldiers in this abandoned fort?

Lutherus responded coldly, standing up from his seat.

Arthur Filias was a good man, but he personally couldn’t accept this proposal.

All Lutherus Edan wanted as a reward was true peace, without having to think about anything.

However, Arthur seemed to have anticipated such a reaction, smirking and adding,

“No, there’s no need to fight. You’ve officially retired from the army.

“Then…?”

The Supreme Commander pulled out an order from his pocket.

It was an order appointing Lutherus Edan as the Director of the Anti-Strategy Bureau.

Lutherus couldn’t read the English.

He was appointed to a department he hadn’t heard of or seen, and it was already after retirement.

But Arthur chuckled, amused by such a reaction.

“You’re now the Director of the Anti-Strategy Bureau. And it’s not an official part of the army, but a unique organization within the army. The headquarters is right at Providence Lake.

“What’s the matter…? I clearly mentioned retirement.

“It’s an order from the Supreme Commander. And I’ve already put you on the recommendation list for it.

Arthur’s eyes twitched.

Lutherus was familiar with that look.

It was the same look Lutherus Edan had seen in Arthur’s eyes when he sat in the Supreme Commander’s seat last time.

It was a mocking gaze mixed with a joke, a gaze that said there would be no appeal for already decided matters.

And it was the Supreme Commander.

No matter how much of a war hero Lutherus Edan was, he couldn’t defy the order of the Supreme Commander.

And he knew how eccentric the Supreme Commander was…

A person without pride and political ambition was a corpse, so if he defied the Supreme Commander’s order, he wouldn’t know what to do next.

“Hmm….”

Lutherus sighed and rejected it firmly.

“But I don’t want to.”

Arthur Filias, who had been smiling sweetly, also narrowed his eyes when he rejected the last proposal.

“I have no plans to get into politics, and I’m not going to become a businessman….”

“Huh….”

He poured wine into an empty glass.

“Even if you just want to live quietly, doesn’t that mean you have no goals, no plans, and no meaning in your life? And you were even thinking of committing suicide?.”

“No.”

“No, but you can tell by just looking at your eyes that those are not the eyes of someone looking forward to the future.”

Arthur sharply rebuked him.

“The war is over. Everyone is celebrating every day. Just go outside and see people who are not laughing. It’s really strange, isn’t it? It’s only a few years ago that there was no hope to be found, but now everyone is experiencing that hope.

“But you, why are you making a face like you’re about to die? Even in battles for several years, you didn’t lose a single soldier. The legendary commander of the legendary fort is speaking.”

Lutherus couldn’t answer.

Can I brazenly reveal the truth that I’ve regressed back to my past countless times?

Even to those I held most dear, I’ve concealed this truth?

If you weren’t contemplating suicide, I would have tried to answer, Captain. What pushed you to this extent?

It’s nothing… just empty.

Luther had slowly nodded in response.

Why did you leave Gravesend in the first place?

It was because staying there was torturous.

All the bonds formed in sixty loops of regression were all there.

Even the horrific death, the unimaginable end…

We remembered everything they had experienced and endured.

Luther had to push it away.

Because he couldn’t bear that kind of pain again.

He had intentionally said vague words and brushed off his subordinates.

When he sensed someone trying to get close to him like Reya, he roughly pushed them away.

Even if someone’s leg was cut, he managed to save their life.

But it’s better than dying…

Gravesend was nothing more than a mass grave to Luther.

Just two years.

Two years?

If you get the directorship, it’ll be fine. After that, our direction will be roughly decided. And most importantly…

Asher paused for a moment, then nodded and cut him off.

No, it’s probably better not to talk about it. Anyway, all you have to do is endure for two years. After that, we can assure you that you’ll be able to retire in a better environment.

He didn’t care what story was attached to his appearance.

When viewed simply as a period, it was just two years.

Compared to the five years so far and the sixty loops of regression, it was nothing.

And when that time came, he would be able to completely escape from the swamp of his past.

The traces left by the repeated deaths…

He could neatly sweep away all the fragments of happiness that Titan had taken away.

In fact, when he left there, it didn’t really matter where he went.

He looked at the order to stand at attention.

If you need time to think, you can stay at the High Command for a while. There are plenty of places to stay. The facilities are far better than anything in the frontline.

There was one thing he absolutely had to promise.

There’s a condition.

What is it?

I want you to officially retire and give me a new identity.

Huh…

Asher Phillias looked like he couldn’t understand.

Why?

Because I don’t need the honor of a war hero. All I want is for people who know me as Luther Eden to forget me forever.

Of course, he would understand it.

Arthur Phillias was a capable commander, but not a regressive one.

“What… I can do it easily. Just pick a name, and… the rank….”

Luthers Edan thought for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“Major, I think that would be appropriate.”

“Major. Just right. It’s appropriate, so I won’t receive unnecessary suspicion. Then, I understand that you will accept my proposal.”

Arthur Phillias smiled pleasantly and shook hands.

“I appreciate it, Edan Major. No, just Major.”