A War Hero With No Regrets

5 – People Who Wish to Be Forgotten (1)

Once the decision was made, the deployment was swift.

Lutherus Ethan headed straight to Forbidden Lake by helicopter from the Graveyard.

And contrary to its ominous name,

Forbidden Lake was a remarkably beautiful place.

A fortress command located on a vast lake.

The shimmering twilight reflected on the water surface, scattering into myriad colors,

while the flowers and vegetation along the lakeside presented a picturesque fairy tale.

“…”

Overwhelmed by the beauty, Lutherus momentarily closed his mouth, savoring the scene.

It genuinely felt like the war had completely ended.

He had never bothered to observe this scenery before.

Suddenly, even his reflection on the window bore a peculiarly sentimental expression.

It was fortunate that the helicopter was unmanned.

He was not caught wearing such a foolish expression.

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

The helicopter began to gently, and leisurely, descend onto Forbidden Lake.

The initial impression of the fortress, as it gradually approached, was not bad.

“Hmm…”

At least, until he saw the completely devastated interior.

He thought it would be quite a hefty journey to make it a usable fortress.

—-

“Welcome, Lieutenant…no, Major Lutherus Ethan. I’m Lieutenant John Hops, in charge of the facilities here at Forbidden Lake.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

“It is an honor to meet the hero of the empire here.”

Lutherus and Lieutenant John exchanged light handshakes.

He recalled the personnel information of the fortress, which he had previously read on the helicopter.

John looked a bit older for a lieutenant, probably having enlisted as a soldier before receiving a local commission.

He also appeared to have considerable experience.

“Was there not an attack here?”

“Oh, yes. It happened a year ago. Out of 230 people, now only five remain. And those five, practically…”

“No need to go into detail. I’ve already read it on the helicopter.”

Lutherus cut him off.

Having seen the demise of fortresses and being one of those who had fallen apart himself,

he was familiar with how survivors of a devastated fortress broke down.

“So, Lieutenant John Hops… Are you also affiliated with the Information Strategy Bureau?”

“It seems so. I heard about it not too long ago from Commander Arthur Philius. It’s been about two days.”

Typical arbitrary personnel orders from the supreme commander.

Given the position’s tremendous power, rivaling the chancellor of the empire in military power,

transferring all the troops he managed to a new department was no big deal.

“I thought this unit, which no one cares about, would just be forgotten as it is.”

John laughed, albeit bitterly.

“Shall I then guide you inside?”

But there wasn’t much to guide in Forbidden Lake.

From the troop facilities to the living spaces in the barracks, there wasn’t a single place intact.

The watchtower overlooking the lake was about the only thing in decent shape, and even the garden installed on the roof of the building was overgrown with all sorts of weeds.

“hahahahaha…”

Perhaps feeling awkward even to himself, John scratched the back of his head.

He added an apologetic explanation.

“With only five people, it’s a bit hard to manage the facilities. But we cleaned the place where you’ll live, sir.”

“I see. I understand. There’s a charm to this as well.”

As Lutherus said, the dense weeds did somewhat resemble a small forest.

The trees, perhaps deeply rooted, were larger than typical shrubs.

“We have time anyway, we might clean it up together later.”

“I’d like that. I used to be a gardener before enlisting.”

“Is that so?”

As Lutherus gazed at the rooftop, where no signs of a gardener’s touch were apparent, and asked, John responded with a bitter voice.

“Why bother tending a garden that no one looks at and is left neglected when immediate facility repairs are a more urgent matter?”

Lutherus could only nod.

He was right.

Humans are social animals.

And society typically involves interaction with others.

Tending a garden that no one looks at and is left neglected might be meaningless.

And as John said, there were more urgent issues in the fortress than the garden.

“Let’s go down.”

“Shall we head directly to the director’s room?”

“Yes.”

The structure of Forbidden Lake Fortress was simpler than the Graveyard.

Two four-story buildings shaped like a “D”, facing each other.

From above, it looked closer to a square, given the proximity of the buildings.

To the left of the lake was Building A, and to the right, Building B, which housed vehicles, weapons, and ammunition storage.

Naturally, living spaces, including the director’s room, were all in Building A.

“The armory is empty. The supreme command has withdrawn everything, anticipating possible theft or looting.”

“I’ll request replenishment soon, just to be prepared.”

While tanks or missiles might not be necessary, at least some weapons to distribute to the troops in an emergency seemed necessary.

Hadn’t Arthur Philius himself promised not to skimp on support?

In terms of schedule, troops for facility maintenance were supposed to arrive in a few days, so if he waited a bit, it would likely transform into a pristine state.

Given the many fortresses that had been destroyed in Titan raids, humanity’s construction technology had advanced incredibly.

“Heuk…heuk… I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Because of me, everyone… because of me…”

It was then that a strange sound was heard.

As Lutherus walked down the hallway leading to the director’s room, he heard what sounded like someone sobbing.

Pausing in place, John showed an expression of discomfort as if expecting what was coming.

“What is that sound?”

“Ah… one of the few survivors in our fortress. Her name is Carin Maven.”

Carin Maven.

Lutherus once again recalled the personnel details of the

Forbidden Lake Fortress.

Distinctively, even though she was a combatant, not an officer, she had a peculiar nickname.

No, it was more blatant than peculiar.

Deathbringer Carin Maven.

A name and title he had heard in some past cycle.

During training, a raid had annihilated her fellow trainees in her unit.

Barely surviving, she moved to a reinforcement unit, but even there, she was the sole survivor of a battle.

And even here in Forbidden Lake, her curse had not ended.

Indeed, it was not strange to be called and regarded with skepticism as a “Deathbringer.”

Even fellow unit member and survivor John Hops seemed uncomfortable with her.

“Director?”

“I’ll just take a quick look and go.”

But as John Hops, who followed him, tried to say something to Carin with a furrowed brow, Lutherus stopped him with his hand.

“I’ve seen her; that’s enough. Let’s go.”

“But, sir.”

“I said it’s fine. Continue explaining the facilities.”

And so, he closed the door to Carin’s room nonchalantly and disappeared.

“…?”

The lieutenant couldn’t comprehend Lutherus’s actions, but he continued his explanation as he followed behind.

“Hmm, hmm! This is the boiler room, one of the few facilities that are still operational. And next to it is…”

—-

“Whew…”

Lutherus Ethan slouched into the chair in the director’s room, exhaling a deep sigh.

As Lieutenant John Hops had said, the director’s room was impeccably clean.

But what could be done with only the director’s room in good condition?

Forbidden Lake Fortress had almost nothing functioning normally.

Even the supply of food materials was truly basic.

No, even calling it basic was a stretch.

It was all combat rations and preserved food.

Was it even sensible to talk about combat rations and preserved food now that the war was over?

Of course, the permanent staff was minimal, but even so, it was absolutely unacceptable.

Originally, the lieutenant, whose pre-war occupation was a gardener, was reluctantly put in charge of facilities because he was the facility manager.

“They said they would provide robust support as soon as I took office… but those few days will be a struggle.”

The face of the supreme commander, chuckling heartily, flickered before Lutherus’s eyes.

He didn’t interact much with him in this life, but until the last cycle, they practically went on adventures together every day.

Since construction robots and heavy equipment, which cost several hundred million won per unit under the supreme command’s authority, were set to arrive soon, the facility itself could be repaired quickly.

During the war, there was no need to repair a base that had already been overrun and become a rear area because the front line had advanced.

Originally, it didn’t particularly bother him.

It was just a few months ago that he was rolling around in a field, teeming with bugs.

Having a roof and a bed was no less luxurious than a five-star hotel.

Lutherus fumbled in his front pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

Information Strategy Bureau, or Strategic Information Bureau.

He had suddenly become the head of an organization whose name even confused him.

In fact, what the commander said wasn’t particularly wrong.

He wanted to retire, but he hadn’t decided where to go.

Over the course of forty cycles, the old connections from before his enlistment had long faded from memory.

He was initially an orphan with no family, siblings, or friends.

Lutherus wondered if he could settle well after leaving the military.

Moreover, the future after winning the war was entirely unfamiliar to Lutherus.

He had only thought about winning the war, never once considering what would come after.

“…?”

Ah, of course.

It wasn’t entirely absent.

[“After the war ends… I want to marry you, Lutherus.”]

As he recalled that fact, a voice ghostly whispered in his ear.

[“And live in a large mansion with a view of the lake. What do you think? Quite romantic, isn’t it?”]

The face of Arhen, her silver hair swaying, smiling coyly, appeared before him.

Lutherus stretched out his hand towards the illusion that seemed to sway within reach, but,

soon shook his head and stood up from his place.

The lake.

He wanted to go see the lake.