ALL NOVEL Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Eli, Who Was Once a Grim Reaper
Chapter 12: Eli, Who Was Once a Grim Reaper
During the third sortie of Squad 08, they encountered the Apsalus, which was conducting a test flight.
This event was etched deeply in Eli's memory.
And the one Shiro constantly thought about, Aina, happened to be the pilot of the Apsalus.
That colossal machine, even after taking three direct hits from a 180mm cannon to its front armor, could still take off again, erasing any advantage they had painstakingly created.
Thus, Eli had to use his beam rifle to inflict irreversible damage, destroying its Minovsky flight system to completely ground the Apsalus.
This way, Amada Shiro could reunite with the person he cared about, the Southeast Asian War Zone could accomplish its set objectives, and everyone could look forward to a brighter future.
With this goal in mind, Eli was currently asking the maintenance crew to adjust his beam rifle. Meanwhile, he engaged in anti-air training in his Mobile Suit's simulation mode, repeatedly honing his skills.
It wasn't until he could shoot down a Dopp fighter with a single beam rifle shot that he leaned back in the cockpit seat for a brief rest.
However, this short respite was quickly interrupted by the noisy commotion below.
"Good hit!"
"One more!"
"Place your bets, quick!"
Just from the voices, Eli could tell there was a fight breaking out.
Such incidents were not uncommon in the military, and even Eli had been involved in scuffles before.
Rising from his seat, he looked down and saw familiar faces among those fighting.
On one side was Sanders, as expected. On the other side were members of Squad 07.
"Seriously? After all that's been said, they still end up fighting. Could there be some kind of 'corrective force' at work in this world?"
Eli muttered sarcastically as he descended to the ground via a cable.
Whether or not such a force truly existed was irrelevant to Eli.
He had already decided to retire after the One Year War, using his severance pay to open a shop in a safe place on Earth.
Even though the Universal Century would ultimately lead to tragedy, as a loyal Federation citizen, living a peaceful life seemed entirely possible.
Of course, Eli kept these thoughts to himself.
As a qualified transmigrator, he was well aware of how to avoid triggering the "death flag."
Pushing through the crowd, Eli observed the brawl between Sanders and the Squad 07 members.
"Care to place a bet?"
Captain Nika held up his hat, which was stuffed with a fair amount of cash.
As previously mentioned, there weren't many forms of entertainment in the military, so gambling was a popular pastime.
The fight wasn't going well for Sanders, who was outnumbered two-to-one. His struggle was inevitable.
Yet Eli didn't intervene to stop the fight. Instead, he blended into the crowd as a spectator, though he refrained from participating in the gambling.
The brawl ultimately came to an end when Shiro arrived and Captain Kojima happened to pass by. Curious about the commotion, Kojima stepped in, forcing both sides to disperse under the guise of "friendly inter-team exchanges."
Squad 07, however, was given an extra round of guard duty and sent straight to the front lines.
Squad 08 wasn't spared either; they received a reprimand and were ordered to work on Mobile Suit maintenance.
"So, what started the fight?"
After the crowd dispersed, Eli approached Sanders, who was inspecting his Mobile Suit.
"Lieutenant Eli!"
Sanders snapped to attention and saluted Eli.
It was then Eli noticed a bruise on Sanders' left cheekbone, evidence of the beating he'd taken from Squad 07 members.
Eli gestured for Sanders to relax and leaned against his Mobile Suit. Handing Sanders a cigarette, he encouraged him to explain.
Sanders stared at the cigarette in a daze for a while.
"When I was on Luna II, someone handed me a cigarette just like this."
Eli said nothing, merely lighting his lighter and holding the flame toward Sanders.
As the flame flickered, a distant look appeared in Sanders' eyes.
"Back then, Luna II was under the strictest blockade. A cigarette was a precious commodity. The person who gave me one was my captain at the time. But during our third sortie, he died saving me. Since then, every time I joined a new squad, only I survived the third battle."
Sanders took a deep drag, the cigarette burning halfway in an instant.
"That's why those guys called me the Grim Reaper. I lost my temper and fought them."
With a sigh, Sanders stubbed out the spent cigarette on the armor of his Gundam.
Meanwhile, Eli's cigarette had only burned halfway.
"Lieutenant Eli, maybe this time I won't even make it to the battlefield."
Hearing this, Eli lost his mood for smoking.
"Is that so... Before you make a decision, how about listening to my story?"
Without waiting for Sanders' reply, Eli tapped on the ground-type Gundam's armor.
"You've heard, right? Our Squad 06 lost two Gundams."
Sanders nodded.
"They belonged to my teammates. It happened just after I arrived on Earth. During an operation, I was too reckless and ended up in a Zeon ambush. My teammates rushed in to save me and helped me break out. The result was that I escaped, thanks to Squad 08's support, but my teammates were severely injured and left the front lines, their Mobile Suits badly damaged."
Eli gazed westward at the setting sun.
Back then, in his quest to confirm whether taking down enemies could unlock "deep blue points" in the system, Eli had relentlessly pursued a Zaku, leading to disaster. Not only did Squad 06 become a shattered unit, but even Squad 08's then-captain retired.
That day had been just like this, with a setting sun.
"Without a doubt, I was labeled a Grim Reaper and a jinx in the base… To be honest, it hurt to hear those words."
"Lieutenant…"
Sanders looked at Eli in disbelief, not expecting him to openly share such a past.
Sanders had assumed Eli's current reputation in the base was due to his teammates' own mistakes, not his.
"Later, Karen punched me and told me to take responsibility for two squads being removed from the front lines. That's when I threw myself back into battle and managed to keep Squad 06 from being disbanded. Over time, the perception of me changed, and I became a hero in the base."
Eli chuckled.
"I'm not boasting. I'm just saying this: In the military, no one cares who you are; they care about what you do. I believe you've survived because of your strength, not because you're a burden to your teammates. So use that strength to shatter the Grim Reaper's name."
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Eli's cigarette glowed faintly in the encroaching darkness.
Soon, the base's lights flickered on.
Eli saw Sanders silently return to his Gundam's maintenance work.
Extinguishing his cigarette, Eli headed back to his own Mobile Suit.
Passing by his teammates' wrecked Mobile Suits, he placed the last stub of his cigarette at the foot of one of them.