"…Sylph-sama had intended to kill you."
I was stunned as I held Sylph's lifeless body in my arms.
I couldn't understand why she had chosen death.
The war had ended, and soon a peace treaty would be established between the Alliance and us.
In that case, Sylph should have been returned to the Alliance.
…Her treatment within the Alliance would likely have been harsh, but Arunoma would surely have protected her.
There was a significant possibility that Sylph Nova wouldn't be executed.
"To kill… me?"
"Yes. Even if it meant taking you down with her."
However, the Witch of the Trenches chose to end her own life with a handgun.
She painted her brain across the trench just after the war had ended.
…There were still so many things I wanted to talk to her about.
Even if she were to be executed, I wanted to take her to Josegrad and show her the homeland that had been newly rebuilt."
"She had planned to kill Touri Lowe in the moment of Austin's victory when the crowd erupted in joy."
"…That's how much Sylph despised me."
Yet without a word, she blew away one of the greatest minds of this century.
With a faint smile, using the small gun she had hidden up her sleeve.
"She planned on taking her own life after killing you. That was the decision that she had made."
"…Why?"
Elijah… a medic and Sylph Nova's adjutant.
She knew that Sylph Nova was determined to take her own life regardless of what happened in today's battle.
"Because Sylph Nova's survival would only harm our homeland, the Sabbath."
"…!"
"After all, wasn't it you who pushed her to this point, Touri Lowe?"
The mark she left on Josegrad was immense.
The people of the Sabbath would never find peace as long as Sylph lived.
…Sylph was determined to end her life today, no matter the outcome.
"Sylph would murmur deliriously, saying, 'If only that woman, if only those two didn't exist…'"
"…"
"She lamented in tears that trusting you, Touri Lowe, and letting you live was her life's greatest mistake."
It was me and Bern Valou who drove Sylph Nova to such a state.
It's only natural that her resentment would be directed towards me.
That's why she was planning to take me down with her.
She felt that it was unreasonable for her alone to die, and wouldn't be satisfied without killing me as well.
"However, the situation turned out very differently from what Sylph-sama had anticipated. Austin was driven to the brink, and Arunoma resolved the situation through peace."
"…Yes."
"It would have been impossible for her to shoot you in such circumstances, Touri. Doing so would have shattered any hope for peace."
"…"
"To protect her homeland, Sylph-sama ultimately couldn't bring herself to kill you."
Yet, I fulfilled my duty to declare peace in an embrace with Arunoma.
In other words, Arunoma and I became symbols of the end of the war.
If I were shot, it might have reignited the flames of conflict.
And so, she chose not to shoot me and stopped at taking her own life.
"'You really are one lucky girl.' Sylph said that as a parting shot at me in her final words."
"That must have been her true feelings."
She allowed her carefully crafted plan to be completely derailed by me until the very end.
If that's the case, she must have deeply resented me.
"But if that's true…"
"What is it?"
"Then why? Why did Sylph smile before she took her own life?"
Sylph's resentment toward me was justified.
She had every right to hate me just as much as I hate her.
However, I didn't sense any murderous intent from Sylph.
"It was Sylph who urged me to respond to Arunoma's call."
"…"
"A genius like her should have known that she wouldn't be able to kill me!"
Her final expression was indeed sorrowful, but…
She also showed a serene smile as if she was relieved.
"Sylph-sama smiled at you, didn't she? After all, that girl was kind."
Upon hearing this, Elijah quietly wiped the corners of her eyes.
I cast a glance at Sylph's corpse.
"After all?"
"I had a feeling that for one reason or another, Sylph-sama would find an excuse not to kill you."
Sylph's face in death was hard to see since she lay face down.
But from what I could tell, her lips were faintly smiling.
"Touri Lowe, that girl only showed a face appropriate for her age to you. I believe she truly wanted to be friends."
"…"
"That's why she wanted to take you with her, and that's exactly why she couldn't kill you."
Sylph Nova remained a virtuous person until the end.
She must have been feeling regret for having lost her righteous cause along with her hatred toward me.
"Sylph-sama must felt a sense of relief when she found a reason to not kill you."
"…"
Even in her last moments, she maintained that goodness.
Noble and proud, she chose to take her own life.
"Sylph-sama often told me about her dream."
"Her dream?"
"Yes. She wanted to hold a chess tournament once peace was restored to the Sabbath."
She had killed many people for her ideals.
But even to the very end, she never killed anyone out of selfish desires.
"I will bring peace back to the Sabbath. A country where all the citizens can live without fear."
"Sylph-sama…"
"I will create a Sabbath so peaceful that even soldiers can enjoy playing chess."
Sylph Nova was foolishly virtuous.
And her dream was peaceful and innocent.
"I will win that tournament and make my name resonate throughout Sabbath—"
That dream will never be realized.
"There's no way such a kind girl could shoot you."
"…"
"Indeed, Sylph-sama remained true to herself until the very end."
Sylph swallowed all her emotions.
She gave up her revenge against me and chose to end her own life.
"What will you do with Sylph-sama's body?"
"…I intend on sending it to the Sabbath at the very least."
"Thank you."
The brilliant strategist Sylph Nova, who sacrificed herself for her homeland and for justice.
Her infamy will likely remain in posterity for a century to come.
Yet she fought not for personal gain, nor did she kill out of personal grudges.
I salute that pride.
"I hope that her soul can rest in the land of the Sabbath."
Sylph Nova had taken a wrong turn.
She led a civil war on behalf of the Sabbath, causing countless civilian casualties.
And the name Sylph will continue to be passed down through the ages in eternal infamy.
"…Sylph Nova. Your life became the foundation of the nation known as the Sabbath."
A rare genius who sacrificed everything: her life, her reputation, and everything else.
Thanks to her, Austin was spared from destruction.
"It is thanks to your determination that the war has ended."
The renowned strategist Sylph Nova, who left her name as the most foolish commander in history.
There are likely very few people in this world who will mourn her death.
So at least I, who knows her virtue, should…
"To her noble way of life, I pay my respects."
Let us mourn for her.
In her next life, may she surely be born into a peaceful world without war.
***
"It's over, Touri."
"Yes."
And so, the World War came to an end.
"Thank you so much for everything, Lieutenant Gavel."
"…Yeah."
The situation at the end of the war was utterly disastrous.
Austin had been devastated by the ballooning costs of the war, the Chaim Flu pandemic, and the decline in the working population.
"They're crying. Everyone's crying."
"What should we do now?"
Food was scarce, medical supplies were insufficient, and only military factories were operational.
The Chaim Flu was spreading in the Sabbath, making it difficult to receive sufficient aid.
Though the war was over, people continued to die every day.
"Puku, puku, puku."
"Argie?"
Too much had been lost in the war.
Everyone must have been at a loss as to how to rebuild the country from this point.
"…Company Commander, please give me some alcohol."
"Hey, come on Argie."
"…I'll go around and treat those who are still alive."
Of course, there was no magical solution to instantly revive a city.
When the damage is enormous, it takes an equally enormous amount of time to repair it.
"I'll do what I can. Puku-puk."
"Thank you, Argie."
…Bit by bit, we will rebuild by doing what we can.
That's what we must do.
"…Lieutenant Gavel, could you handle the roll call for the unit? I'll go lend a hand at the nearby medical unit."
"Understood."
The real hardships of war begin only after it ends.
***
"I…! My judgment certainly led to a mistake! But still!"
Regarding the fate of Major Curley, who made a serious blunder.
He was put on trial shortly after the war.
"If it were Bern-sama, he would have done the same! If only the reinforcements hadn't arrived at such an unexpected speed!"
A commander's misjudgment of the battlefield is not in itself a punishable offense.
Even the most experienced commanders sometimes misread the situation.
However, if there are errors in the decision-making process that warrant scrutiny, then a penalty is imposed.
And in Major Curley's case, he could not be considered entirely blameless.
"If only Iris-sama had informed me of the contents of the will!"
"…"
"Why… why didn't Bern-sama trust me, instead of entrusting it to some… some civilian like her…"
At the hearing, Major Curley claimed that the reason of his actions was due to not having been informed of the strategy.
It seemed he had been silently harboring resentment all along.
Perhaps he was envious that Bern Valou had shared his final instructions with a young girl rather than with him, his closest confidant.
Thus, when he suggested halting the pursuit in that crucial moment…
────Ahh, this girl isn't fit to succeed Bern-sama after all.
────The one who will truly become Bern-sama's successor is me.
With that assumption, he purposefully blocked my communications.
"Without knowing Bern-sama's final strategy, I had no other choice. I was simply focused on seizing the opportunity he left behind."
"…Touri, can you explain this?"
"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Verdi."
Verdi wore a troubled expression while listening to Major Curley's explanation.
After all, he already knew the truth.
"Nothing was written in the letter addressed to Touri, was there?"
"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Verdi. The content of the letter addressed to me is likely not much different from that of Major Curley."
"What…?"
In his will he wrote, "I have given the details to Major Curley."
"Then, where is Bern-sama's strategy?"
"That was an emotional letter that was unlike Bern Valou, wasn't it? It was a message to read between the lines."
"Read between the lines…"
"Why did he write an entire page of complaints about Sylph Nova? If you thought about it a little, you should have realized what he was plotting."
"Ah, ah, ah."
"And if Major Curley had also noticed the underlying intentions, the leadership of the strategy would have been reversed."
Bern had indeed passed the information to Major Curley as well.
It was Major Curley himself who had overlooked that.
When he realized this fact, he collapsed on the spot.
"…That's right, Bern-sama always told me to read between the lines."
"…"
"Ah, ahahah. I, I…"
Major Cluley was an accomplished staff officer in Austin's military.
He was capable enough to be chosen as a trusted aide by Bern Valou.
However, the reason he was considered outstanding was because…
"I was properly receiving Bern-sama's words, after all."
"Major Curley…"
"I was the one who couldn't understand Bern-sama. Ah, ah, ah!!!"
He was seen as competent because he acted exactly according to Bern's words.
If he had been following Bern's orders without deviation, then naturally he would appear excellent.
Perhaps one of the reasons Bern wrote in his will that his instructions had been "conveyed to the other" is that he suspected that Major Curley could only act "literally."
"Major Curley will be placed under seven days of suspension and demoted."
"…I apologize for the trouble I caused."
Afterward, Major Curley was held accountable and demoted.
However, Austin's General Staff, which was suffering from a shortage of personnel, could not afford to expel him.
He was held accountable to a certain extent, but he was not dismissed.
After the hearing, Major Curley wore the face of a dead man.
***
After that, the Austin government and the Sabbath's Workers' Council entered into peace negotiations with the Alliance.
The conditions of the peace agreement were to maintain the "pre-war territories."
Arunoma kept his promise and secured an unconditional peace offer without compensation.
…But that was just in name only. In reality, territory was ceded.
Austin's population has declined so dramatically that it could no longer maintain its current territory.
Therefore, they were compelled to sign a treaty to "sell" the territory in exchange for "support" of materials for reconstruction during the peace negotiations.
Although it was a form of losing territory, this condition was not bad from the perspective of Austin.
It would be more constructive to sell off territory and exchange it for reconstruction supplies than to continue to hold on to territory that could not be sustained.
Food for the citizens tomorrow is more important than an uninhabited homeland.
Prime Minister Fogman Jr. was furious, but the government had no choice but to accept this treaty.
Incidentally, the territory that was sold became a colony of Aerys, which suffered relatively little damage.
After the war, a very troublesome incident occurred regarding this Aerys colony…
But that's a story for another time.
***
"The act of war is too foolish."
After the World War ended, leaders and officials from the participating countries gathered for a summit.
"We aim for a permanent peace, holding a strong will for peace, and viewing invasion as a despicable vice."
The venue for the world conference was the Flamer city of Engei, which was once occupied by Austin.
The event was attended by leaders of more than ten countries, including: Flamel, Aerys, the Sabbath Federation, Austin, and Paulrand.
…Embarrassingly, I also participated as one of the officials on the Austin side, sitting at the end of the table.
"We stand united in the face of inhumane acts and impose sanctions using military force or economic means. Attacks on civilians, assaults on health facilities, the use of gas weapons…"
The chairman of this meeting was none other than Arunoma.
He rallied the people under his strong anti-war ideology and requested cooperation from each country to prevent war from ever happening again.
Arunoma gathered the leaders of various countries and made them promise to uphold these idealistic, "pretty words."
"If any country violates these treaties, we will suppress it with joint military force."
If any country goes against these "pretty words," then all member countries will impose sanctions together.
By structuring it this way, the effectiveness of this treaty was solidified.
This treaty was called the Treaty of Engei and imposed various constraints to achieve peace.
And,
"I hereby declare the establishment of the World Peace Union."
Among the countries that signed the treaty, this multilateral alliance was the first of its kind in this world.
The World Peace Union was established.
After that, the world slowly began to recover.
Although resentment and hatred still swirled in various places…
Perhaps because people thought, "I never want to go through that again," a full-scale war has not broken out since.
***
Finally, let me talk about my life after the war.
I immediately resigned from my position as Chief of Staff, which I had taken on as Iris.
After all, I am a frontline commander. The only place I can be of help is on the battlefield.
If I am not in a position to carry on Bern's strategies, then I am not fit to be a staff officer.
I'm of no help when it comes to discussing long-term national defense.
Moreover, I am not an officer who has received specialized training.
Therefore, I was also unsuited to serve as an instructor who could explain tactics based on theory.
For a few years after the war, I engaged in hunting down bandits within Austin as a frontline commander.
I left the military once the security situation across various regions stabilized.
So why was I attending this international conference?
That's because after I left the military, I was assigned to Austin's Department of Foreign Affairs.
In other words, I made a transition from a military officer to a bureaucrat.
The title of, "The soldier who embraced Arunoma at the end of the war" was quite handy during diplomatic discussions.
Also, I have a rather expressionless face, which apparently makes it difficult for others to read my thoughts during conversations.
I have also developed the mental fortitude to continue conversing calmly even when a gun is pointed at me.
Additionally, my medical knowledge proved useful as well.
As part of diplomatic activities, I was able to engage in "medical technology exchange" with Flamel and Aerys.
In particular, it was necessary to collaborate with other countries on measures against the Chaim Flu.
Diplomats with medical knowledge were highly valued.
For this reason, I worked as a subordinate to the plump diplomat who praised me for having "the qualities of a diplomat."
My days as a diplomat were busy yet fulfilling.
I traveled to other countries for diplomacy, exchanged medical technologies, and brought them back to Austin.
My signature party tricks also helped me blend in during my time abroad.
Being a diplomat suited me so well that I could almost call it a calling.
…But, I wonder if this was the price to pay.
I became so busy with that schedule that I couldn't find the time to return to the Sabbatian Special Economic Zone where Sedol was waiting for me.
Given that the Sabbatian Special Economic Zone is in a remote area, it takes about a week to travel one way. If I wanted to visit and stay, I would need at least a few weeks off."
While diplomats might get a couple of days off, it's impossible to take an extended vacation.
The aftermath of the war left a mountain of negotiations to tackle, and work kept unendingly piling up.
Moreover, since diplomats work primarily based on their "face" or reputation, it's not easy to have someone else take over their duties.
Although the work is enjoyable, the idea of a long vacation is just a distant dream.
As a result, I felt a lingering regret about not being able to see Sedol's face.
I traveled around as a diplomat for about ten years.
Austin's reconstruction is progressing, and the foundations have largely stabilized.
The World Peace Union also got on track, and younger diplomats began to emerge.
Therefore, I believe that my responsibilities are coming to an end.
I recently made the decision to resign from my job.
I was urged to reconsider by those around me when I shared this decision, but I felt it was the right time to move on.
Until now, I felt that it was something that "I had to do" in order to realize the peace that Arunoma envisioned.
However, ten years have passed since the war ended, and many capable juniors have emerged.
There was a shortage of manpower in the aftermath of the war where even I had become a sufficient force.
Now that the situation has stabilized, it has become something that "I no longer need to do."
In fact, the younger individuals who have received exceptional education are likely to perform better than I can, given my lack of formal training.
Rather, young people who have received a specialized education will likely perform their jobs better than someone who hasn't like me.
That's why I quit being a bureaucrat and returned to the private sector at the beginning of this year.
Now, I find myself swaying in a carriage as just Touri Lowe.
From now on, I plan to work as a healer at Anita's clinic in the Sabbatian Special Economic Zone.
I don't believe that will atone for the many lives I took.
…But at the very least, I want to spend the rest of my life helping others.
As for my war experiences, I think that's about it.
It turned into a long story, but how was it?
This is what I saw during the World War.
I know it may sound like a boring story, but I hope you won't forget it.
After overcoming so many painful things, peace has finally arrived.
Please remember that many people longed for this peaceful world, were swept up in the madness of war, and ended up buried in the ground.
Now, you are even able to listen to my story like this.
You can rest assured knowing that no bullets will come flying at you even if you just sit there daydreaming.
This tranquility is something that all the soldiers who fought in the past desperately yearned for.
…I might have gotten a bit preachy there.
I think it's about time to wrap up this story.
Thank you for listening to me all this time.
***
The woman said this and ended the conversation.
With the scorching sun shining brightly, the sound of buzzing insects filled the air.
Several men and women were riding in an old horse-drawn carriage through a lush forest in the middle of summer.
In the center of the carriage, a petite woman had been continuously speaking.
The carriage's destination is the Sabbatian Special Economic Zone.
It is an undeveloped remote area where there are still no railroads and no paved roads.
To get there, you can only walk or take a horse-drawn carriage that comes only once every few days.
The woman had several small scars on her body.
Her hair is cut short, her eyes are dignified, and she has composure that makes her appear almost masculine.
Yet, her expression is bright.
"I can finally go home. I've been waiting for this day for so long."
The woman introduced herself as Touri Lowe.
She gazed into the depths of the forest with shining eyes like a young girl.
The neighing of horses echoed quietly through the trees.
Step by step, they moved closer to their destination.
"Oh, here it is!"
Before them lay an open settlement.
There stood the entrance to the special economic zone, marked by a prominent Sabbatian-style Vanya.
After a long, long journey, Touri has returned to her family.
"At last, I've reached a peaceful everyday life."
On the day she found her peace,
The blue sky stretched endlessly as clear as the eye could see.
THE END