A War Hero With No Regrets

43 – Old Friends (4)

“That person…” “He’s the Director of the Safety Bureau?”

Leah’s eyes began to shake like crazy.

“Yes, I was surprised when I saw it too.”

“What on earth happened? How… “Retired, didn’t you say you were retired?”

“I knew that was the case. However, it seems that His Excellency the President himself had his identity erased. “It’s a newly established intelligence agency directly under the President.”

“So, so…” !”

What happened a few months ago ran through Leah’s mind.

Yes.

No matter how much he lost his memory, he could not have been mistaken.

The emotions he felt at that time, the sense of déjà vu that strangely caught his eye, and the reason why he jumped in without hesitation the moment he was in a desperate crisis.

It was because it was Luther Ethan.

It was not Captain John Hobbs, but Lutheran Ethan.

It was just a pseudonym!

Leah’s frozen face brightened.

This time, again, I was drawn to it just like I was at the Graveyard.

The experience we have accumulated through forty regressions together can be considered fate.

“Oh my, is it that good? “How come I feel more affectionate for you than when I was at the fortress because I can’t see you?”

“Oh, that’s not it….”

“That’s enough. What are you denying? That’s what the human heart is all about. “I regret it when it passes, and I wonder if I should try to understand it a little more, because that’s how people are.”

Drake muttered bitterly.

He has recently begun to re-evaluate Luthus Ethan.

He is a bit harsh, uncooperative, and stubborn, almost at the world’s highest level, but it is an undeniable fact that everyone in the Graveyard was able to survive until the end of the war because of that.

“How is your condition?” ?”

“Status?”

Drake thought about Luther’s Ethan at the time.

When I first saw him at the banquet hall, he was a helpless man.

He did not respond easily to his own provocation and instead just desperately avoided it.

It’s as if he doesn’t even want to face old relationships.

But when he was with his subordinates, he seemed somewhat at ease.

Drake added with a chuckle.

“He seemed to get along well with new people.”

“Ah….”

“Last time I heard from you, I heard you live near ‘Munston’ in the west. Wouldn’t it be okay to visit once?”

Something.

As soon as she heard those words, Leah grabbed Drake’s hand tightly.

“Thank you, really…” Thank you so much, Drake!”

“Why am I so grateful… But was it that much of a struggle? “If you wanted to see me that much, at least tell Arhen.”

“You saw it earlier. How her sister reacts.”

“Well… “Argen is particularly strict only with Luthers.”

“Once you make up your mind, you won’t change it no matter what happens.”

It was Leah who had been watching Argentina for a long time.

Argen Orca’s personality did not change in the 34th episode, the previous episode, or this episode.

In case anyone thought she was Luthus’ favorite lover, the two were exactly alike in their stubbornness.

It could be seen as a bad habit.

In this episode, Luthus intentionally pushed her away, so there was no room for her to grow.

“First of all, okay… Recently, he has been working under the name Werner Grime. “I don’t know if you will meet me or not, but please go and talk to me at least once.”

“Ho, perhaps…” “I thought she had a girlfriend?”

Even as I said that, I felt ashamed.

Isn’t this proving to Drake that anyone can see that he still has selfish intentions?

But what does that mean?

It is not an emotion that can be treated as selfishness.

For her, her first and last love was only Luthus Ethan.

“I don’t think there is one. Oh, there was one woman who seemed to be her lieutenant. “It was pretty.”

“….”

Gulp.

Leah Gilead swallowed her dry saliva.

He was always that kind of man.

He was the one who had three fiancees each in his large fortress.

Of course, Luthus did not do it intentionally.

It was something that could not be helped.

There were people with whom I formed a special relationship during several regressions.

Even if Lutus pushed them away, they stubbornly clung to them, so it was natural.

Recovering memories meant returning the time Luthus had spent with them, so Luthus could not abandon anyone.

Argento, Leah herself, and Charlotte.

In a way, Luthus accepted their foolishness.

The reason for having three fiancées, which is completely different from social norms, was also in the same context.

So, the three of them didn’t really keep each other in check.

Everyone’s time and everyone’s memories are important, so why can we selfishly demand only our own?

Because of Luther, their lives existed.

It was also what Leah feared the most.

Luthers, who always wanted to move forward together, did not choose the path of restoring their memories in this episode.

If her memories had not been restored due to the activation of the sewing machine protocol, Leah Gilead would have thought of Luthus Ethan as just a passing relationship.

“Anyway, thank you, Drake. “I will definitely pay this back.”

“It’s up to you to repay.”

“And be sure to tell Arhen that I said I was sorry.”

“If you tell me that in person… Eh? No, Leah! Are you really going to go right now!? Ostrich!!”

There is no way I would have any regrets about Hohenvaren without that person.

Leah waved her hand vigorously at her Drake, who had a perplexed expression on his face, and ran out into the night.

Her heart pounded at the thought of packing her bags and heading to Munster.

***

Leah Gilliard was just as powerful as Luthus Ethan in terms of her driving force.

She said she wanted to see a festival. Didn’t she stop by the nearby village of Grave Yard while carrying out her supply duties?

Munston.

Once the destination was decided, everything was smooth sailing from then on.

I packed my luggage at the accommodation, checked out early, and headed straight to the train station.

Then I bought a ticket for the fastest train to Munster.

It was the first train leaving at 4:50 in the morning.

After driving for over 6 hours, we arrived at Munston, a small city in the Western Military District.

However, arriving in Munston did not mean you could just meet Luthers Ethan.

She went around and asked about Luthers.

Even when she was at the Graveyard, she went out to support the public a few times.

Most people living in these small towns were natives who had stayed in the area for a long time.

It is common to know the location of nearby military bases.

“There is some kind of solidarity with the battalion, but…” “I’m not sure.”

“Well, have you ever seen people wearing black military uniforms from head to toe, different from the regular military uniforms?”

“Ah! “If it’s a pitch-black military uniform, you know it well!”

Fortunately, the Security Strategy Bureau, to which Lutus Ethan belonged, wore uniforms that were different from those of regular units.

“I often come to the bar over there. There is also a supermarket next to it.”

“Thank you!”

Leah bowed down to her waist and thanked him with all her sincerity.

She then stopped by a suitable motel, checked in, and unpacked.

It was possible to visit her unit as is.

I heard that there is a fortress in Emerald, a huge lake located roughly north of Munston, now called Forbidden Lake.

There was no reason to hesitate since we had obtained important information that people wearing black uniforms were living there.

But the reason Leah didn’t do that was because she knew that it was just unreasonable.

If you’re going to meet, it’s best to pretend it’s a coincidence.

If that doesn’t work, it would be nice to just watch from afar.

Because he was wearing a mask at Branberg’s banquet hall, so he couldn’t see the expression on the other side.

So Leah spent the whole day wandering around the bar and supermarket that people from the Security Strategy Bureau frequented.

In fact, I encountered people who appeared to be members of the Safety Bureau a few times while walking around.

After an unexpected day in Munston.

When the next day arrived.

“… !!!!!”

Leah Gilead was able to find the person she had been waiting for so long.

Even though it was far away, it was recognizable at a glance.

The hair, which had grown haphazardly and was messy, was now cut in a neat style.

The beard, which was so bushy that he looked several years older than his original age, was clean-shaven.

He didn’t even listen when I told him to cut it….

Leah pouted her lips.

But personally, I liked it even better when he changed like that.

In the past, she felt like she was seeing Luther from the time when she was engaged to him.

Her fiancé was still cool.

No, on the contrary, her black hair and black military uniform matched perfectly, making her look even cooler than before.

In the meantime, did her body get bigger? Her shoulders are slumped.

The jewel-like blue eyes are still the same. Last time, I couldn’t see them clearly because they were covered by a mask.

His eyes.

Gaze processing.

Walking distance.

How to put your hands in your pockets.

A hand gesture to clear your mind whenever you think of a cigarette.

Everything was the same as then.

Leah, who was looking at Luthus blankly, soon came to her senses by slapping her cheek.

I don’t know what happened, but Luther’s Ethan was alone now.

Furthermore, for some reason he was walking down the street alone.

Now is your chance.

Leah Gilead quickly checked the mirror.

I checked her clothes and even fixed her makeup.

It’s been a while since we met face to face.

We had to meet in the best condition.

I had to do that….

“Director!”

Luthus, who was walking ahead, looked back.

At that moment, Leah, who was about to approach him, stopped right on the spot.

“Karin, I said it was okay if you didn’t follow me.”

“Oh, but how can I spend it alone? You are my boss. “The car was parked in the parking lot.”

A woman with hair that looked exactly like Lutus burst into laughter.

Leah Gilead soon realized that she was the lieutenant Drake had mentioned.

“But why are you going to the supermarket?”

“I ran out of personal food ingredients. “I was thinking of going to buy some ingredients.”

“Oh?! So, you’re cooking dinner yourself tonight!?”

“… “If you want.”

Luthus answered with a grin toward the woman named Karin.

The moment she saw that appearance, Leah had no choice but to hide in her alley.

I know.

His eyes.

Gaze processing.

The direction in which you turn your head.

A smile slowly appeared.

A voice thrown out lightly.

Everything was the same as then.

Except for the fact that the person standing next to him is not him.

It was an expression they had never shown before in this episode.

He always looks at them with dry eyes, or sometimes with sad eyes.

“Ah.”

Leah Gilead was clearly mistaken.

He had already left the Graveyard a long time ago.

For Luther Ethan.

He no longer needs himself.

Really, he acknowledged that they were shackles and left.

The reason he lived in the Grave Yard was simply to fulfill his final duty.

It was only to fulfill the responsibility they had promised to save humanity.

The love engraved within it has long since faded.

In a way, it is natural.

Love, which would have naturally dried up after dozens of deaths, came to a complete end with the victory achieved in this episode.

My heart, which I worked so hard to hold together, was once again torn apart.

The moment she realized that the fact she had been denying had become reality.

Her heart, which had been holding on precariously, collapsed.

“Ah, ah… Ugh… Ugh….”

Leah sat down in her seat and burst into tears.

“Then shall we have aglio olio for dinner tonight?”

“Did you like it that much?”

“Of course! It was the first food I ate. “I’m sure Captain John Hobbs will jump up and down because he likes it.”

“If that were the case, I should have asked John to do it.”

“hehehe… Still, just taking a walk together is nice. “It’s nice that the weather has cleared up for the first time in a while.”

“I agree.”

But the sound was soon drowned out by the voices of two people passing by in the alley.

Four days later.

[Global Application]

[Lieutenant Leia Gilead]

“Lea, Leah?!”

The executive dormitory was empty, as if no one had ever lived there.

Her superior, 32nd Regiment Commander Julia Anke, looked at the letter left on her lost desk.