"The Aust girl who arrived recently is apparently an incredible VIP."
The day after I spoke with the officials in Vanya.
As an apology for his poor pickup attempt, the official gave me a box of sweets.
"The officials were bowing their heads humbly and subserviently."
"Maybe she's actually a noblewoman."
Sedol was drooling, so I accepted the sweets, but…
The Sabbatians of the village saw the official's face turning pale and bowing his head.
"No, I heard she's an amazing soldier."
"They say she single-handedly slaughtered 20,000 people."
"Apparently the officials made that girl angry and got beaten up."
"…With that appearance?"
It must have seemed like I was someone more important than the officials.
In reality, government officials are considered higher in rank than me, a commoner by birth…
"They say the girl who was flirted with in Vanya got furious and yelled at the officials."
"The officials were so intimidated that they foamed at the mouth and fainted."
"Scary… I never thought there'd be a woman scarier than my wife."
Soon, the village began buzzing with speculation about who I really was.
Unfounded rumors spread in no time.
***
"Touri, what did you do? The whole village is talking about you."
"Well, you could say it's a result of some propaganda."
Naturally, the rumor had reached Anita's ears.
Apparently, I am the strongest soldier in the world who has killed 20,000 men on the battlefield, and when some officials tried to pick me up, I became furious and beat them all up in an instant.
What am I, really?
"It's just that my recent achievements have been exaggerated."
"Did you really kill 20,000 people?"
"There's no way that's possible."
People in the countryside love gossip, but I didn't think it would spread this much.
Most probably think it's a joke, but there are some who believe it.
Please, give me a break.
"We were just buying time against 20,000 Aerys soldiers."
"Oh?"
"In reality, it was a desperate, chaotic mess. We were on the verge of defeat."
We were holed up in trenches, focusing on buying time. We shouldn't have caused much damage to the enemy.
…As a result, we were able to protect many friendly soldiers, and that's why were awarded the commendation.
"But we barely held out, and as a reward, I got a month's leave."
"I see. I thought it was odd that a medic would suddenly be given an extended leave of absence."
Anita seemed to understand after hearing my story.
…I don't want Sedol to know about my exploits in the war if possible.
"The results of that battle were used for propaganda purposes and were published in the newspapers."
"I see. So that's why the government officials who read your name in the paper started acting like that."
"That's probably it."
"Serves them right. They've always been sitting in Vanya during the day, leering at people."
"That's… annoying."
"I hope Touri's lecture will teach them a lesson."
It seems the officials were quite disliked in the village.
They probably misunderstood Vanya's culture.
The custom of entering naked stems from the idea of "talking openly without hiding anything."
Since you will be interacting naked, it is good manners to behave as gentlemanly as possible.
"I think it's okay now. I've cleared up the misunderstanding. If it still becomes an issue, I'll explain it to them again."
"That would be great, thanks."
The Austin officials didn't seem like bad people either.
Although their methods were wrong, they had the attitude of facing the Sabbatian immigrants head-on.
It may not be impossible to build a good relationship if we can correct the cultural differences.
"So, Anita, I'd like you to help clear up the villagers' misunderstandings about me."
"…Ah."
"It's tough being openly avoided just for walking around."
And that goes for me too.
It's quite troubling that people can believe such an absurd rumor as me having killed 20,000 people.
It might cause problems for Sedol too.
"…Alright, alright. I'll help."
"Thank you."
Misunderstandings and rumors can be seeds of trouble.
I plan to live in this village with Sedol when the war is over.
Let's take the time now to clear up the misunderstandings one by one.
***
"…And that's the situation, Yozak."
"Ah, I see."
And so,
To clear up this dangerous misunderstanding, I spoke to many people.
"There are some terrifying rumors going around about Aust-chan. I was confused about what was going on."
"Most of it is baseless. I would appreciate it if you don't believe it."
"I know, I know. Well, I don't think you could do something like that either."
I have several acquaintances in this village from my days in the Sabbath, including Yozak.
I went around explaining my situation to these people first.
"Tou-chan, are you done talking?"
"Yes. Thank you for waiting so patiently, Sedol."
"Ehehehe."
I had plenty of opportunities to talk to the villagers since Sedol takes me around the village every day.
He isn't shy and goes out of his way to talk to a lot of people.
Being a reserved person myself, Sedol's sociability was a great help to me.
"Then let's go to the lady who will give us sweet potatoes next."
"Oh, there's such a person?"
"Yeah, the big grandma."
Since people of working age go to the factory for work, there are only elderly people left in the village.
I'm sure the elderly people in the village would play with him while Anita was treating him.
"Is it alright to visit her so suddenly?"
"Grandma says, 'You can come anytime.'"
"Then we must thank her properly."
***
And so,
My two weeks in the Sabbatian Special Economic Zone were very peaceful and enjoyable.
I spent all day playing with Sedol, interacting with the villagers in Vanya, and sometimes mediating disputes between officials and villagers.
It was such a tranquil time that I started to feel guilty, thinking of my comrades who had fallen in Argalia.
"Tou-chan, where should we go tomorrow?"
"…I'm sorry, Sedol."
Over these past two weeks, I played as much as I could so that I wouldn't have any regrets.
I made many memories with Sedol in case this would be our last time together.
We played in the river together, made mud balls, caught bugs, and went to bed together.
…If the time comes for me to give my life, I hope my final thoughts will be filled with these beautiful memories.
"I have to go back to work soon."
"…No way!"
"These happy days can't last forever."
Fun times pass by in the blink of an eye.
How wonderful it would be if these blissful days could continue forever.
…But the flames of war have not died down, they continue to burn fiercely to this day.
"Tou-chan, are you leaving again?"
"I'm sorry, Sedol."
I knelt down and hugged the young Sedol tightly.
I clutched the hem of his muddy clothes with all my might.
"Make sure you eat your vegetables even if I'm not here."
"…"
"And don't do anything dangerous. You must never go into the river alone."
"…Okay."
"If you're in trouble, call out for help. I'm sure someone from the village will come running."
I can feel Sedol's body temperature filling my chest, smelling faintly of sweat and soil.
He is the precious treasure entrusted to me by the Gomuji couple.
"I'm sure the war will end soon. A peaceful world will come."
"Really?"
"Yes. When that happens, we'll live together forever."
Even though I said these words to comfort Sedol…
Deep down, I too was filled with the feeling of not wanting to leave.
If I could quit the military, I could live peacefully with him.
…It was a drug-like, seductive fantasy.
"Until then, please be a good boy, Sedol."
"…Okay, I understand."
However, the more I wished for such sweet desires…
The colder the voice inside me reproached me.
────How many enemies have you killed so far?
To survive. For my country.
I have killed many people under that pretense.
The soldiers I killed also had families who enjoyed such peace.
Just like Sedol-kun, whom I am holding now.
A precious life that grew up loved, important to someone.
"I'll come back again."
"Promise?"
Can I enjoy happiness alone after taking away someone's precious Sedol?
For me to take that away from them and then enjoy happiness only for myself?
Is such a thing even permissible?
"You've become so understanding, Sedol. Good boy, good boy."
"I was told not to bother Tou-chan."
"…Thank you."
The more enjoyable and happy my time with Sedol was, the stronger my sense of guilt became.
I live by taking the lives of someone's precious person.
That fact doesn't change no matter how I try to cover it up.
"…"
Is it truly okay for me to return here?
Shouldn't I one day face retribution and perish on the battlefield?
Having a murderer like me around wouldn't be good for Sedol's upbringing─
"Ah, I see. I understand a little bit more about how you felt, Mr. Gorski."
"Tou-chan?"
Mr. Gorski had been living peacefully in Othello Village.
But he returned to the battlefield, taking up the spear once again at Sylph's invitation.
"…Peace is so precious and dazzling."
The enemy soldiers I killed in a surprise attack in Marshdale.
The young soldiers I shot and killed during the Sabbatian Revolution.
The Aerys soldiers I trapped and killed in Argalia.
It felt like I was being confronted with the weight of the lives that I have so casually taken up until now.
If I hadn't shot them, they might have been smiling in peace like this.
Realizing that, I felt like vomiting.
"Even just three years of this makes me feel sick. I wonder how much more Mr. Gorksi must have endured."
My senses become numb on the battlefield.
But once I return to peaceful days, I am once again made acutely aware of the weight of life.
This is the burden that soldiers carry.
"Tou-chan, are you okay? You look pale."
"I'm fine. I'm just sad about leaving Sedol."
"I see."
The tighter I hugged Sedol, the more I was confronted with the gravity of life.
The curse-like voice telling me, "You should die on the battlefield," grew stronger.
"Austin's hero, Lieutenant Touri! We pray for your success in battle."
"…Yes, thank you for seeing me off."
And so, the day came to return to the battlefield as my leave ended.
I was leaving the village with all the Austin officials saluting me.
"Bye-bye, Tou-chan."
"Yeah. See you later, Sedol."
I'd appreciate it if they could spare me such a ceremonious send-off.
But since the officials were doing it out of goodwill and respect, I could only give a wry smile.
"Well, don't worry about Sedol. I'll take good care of him."
"Thank you, Anita."
"See you, Aust-chan. …I hope to see you again in good health."
"Yes, Yozak."
Anita and several other familiar faces came to see me off.
My fun vacation has finally come to an end.
"I will come back to this village once the war is over. Until then."
I want to burn the image of Sedol waving at me into my memory so I won't forget it.
As if to shake off my lingering regrets, and as if being tempted by the devil, I once again set out for the front lines.