The First Death
The First Death
Frien's memories began in the medical unit.
"Why are there so many wounded soldiers? Could it be...."
"They were ambushed during a reconnaissance in force. Word is the enemy knew we would be conducting one."
"Good heavens. How could such a thing...."
The voices of an officer and a non-commissioned officer drifted through the medical unit.
"My arm...! My arm...!"
"Sir. Please pass on my last words to my family. Tell them I fought hard...."
"Those Republican sons of bitches... those bastards did this to us...."
The sounds of soldiers writhing in pain echoed as well.
Frien moved briskly among them, using her power.
"It's alright. The pain will disappear soon."
Black mana clung to the soldiers' bodies, mending their wounds.
The soldiers Frien treated improved rapidly, but there was no letup.
Because more soldiers, crying out in pain, kept flooding in without end.
With several soldiers screaming from phantom pain even after their wounds were treated, the medical unit descended into a living hell.
Because of this, Frien had no choice but to spend two straight days in the medical unit treating soldiers.
Only after the condition of all the wounded had begun to stabilize was Frien able to rest.
Returning to her quarters and wiping the sweat away with a damp towel, Frien suddenly thought of Daniel.
She thought he must be struggling after the operation's failure, and that she should go help him.
Frien immediately sought out the head of the medical unit, obtained permission on the grounds of touring the camp, and headed to the command post building where Daniel was.
However, she could not meet Daniel at the command post building.
"The division commander left for the camp's outskirts with the engineer staff. I hear he's doing a facility inspection."
Lieutenant Colonel Pelf, the intelligence staff, informed her of Daniel's absence.
Since he seemed like he would be back soon, she considered waiting at the command post, but her desire to see his face even a moment sooner won out.
Frien asked where on the outskirts he had gone for the facility inspection and immediately set out.
......She should not have done so.
Upon arriving at the place Pelf had indicated, Frien witnessed a horrific scene.
"Wow. Nice reflexes. Considering this was a surprise attack and all."
She saw Daniel, wounded in the shoulder and gasping for breath on the snow-covered ground.
And standing opposite Daniel at a distance was none other than the engineer staff officer, Major Rodel.
He had a revolver in his hand, aimed at Daniel.
"But here's the catch. The moment I took your revolver, you lost the chance to show off that marksmanship you're so proud of. Or do you want to use neural acceleration and try to take it back?"
As Daniel remained silent, Rodel let out a scoff.
"That'd be impossible. The effective duration of your neural acceleration is about six seconds. Even if you sprinted at full speed, you couldn't reach me. On the other hand...."
Rodel shrugged his shoulders.
"If you ran away using neural acceleration, I don't think I'd be able to kill you. You're on edge now, aren't you, wondering if I'll pull the trigger? You're definitely focused on my finger. So you can run away at any time."
"Shut your mouth!"
Daniel, having steadied his breathing, spoke.
"Why are you doing this? Major Rodel! There's nothing for you to gain by betraying the military, is there? You, who had no contact with the Republic, why on earth...!"
At Daniel's question, Rodel's lips twisted.
"Of course. Naturally, 'Major Rodel' has no need to betray the military."
Having spoken those meaningful words, Rodel smoothly shifted his gaze.
"Shall we stop this pointless chatter soon? As it happens, I've just figured out how to kill you."
Rodel's gaze landed on Frien, standing dazedly among the trees.
"Hey, Daniel. You cherish your subordinates dearly, don't you? Want to prove it? At this distance, you could definitely save her."
Rodel turned the muzzle of the gun.
Wondering what he meant and turning around, Daniel saw Frien.
Grasping Rodel's intent, Daniel accelerated his nerves without a moment's hesitation.
Kicking off the ground, Daniel embraced Frien in an instant.
Tang─
A single bullet followed, burying itself in Daniel's heart.
In that split second, time slowed to an agonizing crawl.
Holding Frien, Daniel's lips trembled as he coughed up blood.
As his life flickered out, Daniel, who had been trying to speak, closed his eyes.
Daniel's hand, which had been holding Frien, fell limp.
"Ah...."
Everything had happened so suddenly that she could not grasp what was happening.
Watching Frien standing in a daze, covered in Daniel's blood, Rodel burst into laughter.
"Ahahaha! Don't tell me you really threw your life away to protect her?"
The laughter rang in her ears like tinnitus.
She could not accept that Daniel was dead.
Frien raised her trembling hands and pulled Daniel's body close.
"Ah. Ah...!"
No coherent sound would leave her lips, and she could not tell what her eyes, wide and unblinking, were staring at.
Meanwhile, soldiers who had heard the gunshot were drawing near.
As Major Rodel's laughter continued, Frien, unable to support the weight of the corpse, collapsed onto the snow.
But she soon pushed herself up and embraced Daniel again.
"Over here! A gunshot over here!"
"Is it an enemy attack!?"
The soldiers arriving shortly thereafter found Major Rodel, inexplicably roaring with laughter, and Daniel, now a cold corpse.
Grasping the situation, the soldiers immediately raised their rifles and shot Major Rodel dead.
But Frien paid no attention to any of that.
"......Major General Daniel? It's alright. It's alright, I'm here. I'm, I'm by your side."
Babbling whatever came to mind, Frien poured black mana into Daniel's body.
But no matter how much she used her power, the dead could not be brought back.
Even as his wounds healed, Daniel still did not breathe.
"This is strange. Ahaha. This is really strange. Why is this happening? There's no way Major General Daniel is dead. Right? There's no way Major General Daniel is dead. So... please, stop it."
Muttering like a madwoman, Frien soon had no choice but to accept it.
Daniel was dead.
Realizing it, Frien pressed her forehead to Daniel's chest and burst into tears.
"──!"
No, it was less like crying and more like a scream.
*
Daniel's funeral was held simply.
It was what he had wished for in life.
The division honored the deceased's will.
They temporarily interred Daniel in the earth near the high ground, erected a simple headstone, and conducted a memorial service.
Numerous officers paid their respects, many in tears, but the only ones who remained until sunset were Frien and Lucy.
In the silence, the air grew heavy and settled.
After remaining silent before the tombstone for a long while, Frien parted her dry, chapped lips.
"......I'm sorry."
Her hoarse, cracked voice carried no strength.
"I'm truly sorry. Because of me...."
Her words trailed off into a sob.
Lucy, who had been silently looking down at Frien, turned away without offering any words of comfort.
Because while accepting Daniel's death was hard enough for herself, she had no capacity to consider Frien's feelings.
When even Lucy left, Frien was left alone in the cemetery.
Though she knew she should return now that the funeral was over, Frien did not.
Because it felt like the moment she left this place, everything would crumble.
"Major General Daniel...."
Beneath her disheveled hair, her gaunt eyes slowly closed.
"......I miss you."
She whispered with all her longing, but the dead do not return for such reasons.
When she lifted her heavy eyelids, only the crude tombstone stared back at her.
As if to tell her, 'Daniel died because of you.'
In her bitter heart, Frien replayed her own mistakes over and over.
Thus, a day passed.
Snow began to fall over the high ground, and Frien was still kneeling before the grave.
Pure white snow piled up on Frien's head and shoulders.
Frien, who had been keeping vigil like a stone statue of longing, heard footsteps nearby.
The footsteps, crushing the snow underfoot, drew closer and then stopped.
"Frien."
Hearing the voice, Frien slowly raised her head.
Because the person who had come was none other than Lucy.
"It's not your fault."
It was a short, simple forgiveness.
In a way, it was an obvious fact, yet it was a truth Frien could hardly accept.
As the snow fell heavily upon her, Lucy remained silent for a time before she spoke.
"I wanted to tell you before I left."
Leave? Where?
"I'm going to the enemy camp now. Even if it's for Daniel's revenge...."
Frien's mouth fell open in a daze.
Frien had thought about it too.
But it was an extremely dangerous act and a betrayal of all reason.
"No, you can't!"
Frien, thinking she had to stop her, rose from her spot.
Perhaps from kneeling for so long, her body staggered momentarily, but she soon regained her balance.
As she turned around, Frien was about to speak up to stop Lucy when she hesitated.
There was no sign of life left in Lucy's eyes.
Only refined fury and hatred resided behind them.
The change in her was frighteningly drastic.
"I know well what you're trying to say. But...."
Lips beneath dry, tearless cheeks slowly parted.
"This isn't something that will be resolved just because you try to stop me."
Only then did Frien understand.
Lucy wasn't going to the enemy camp merely for revenge.
She intended to fight and die in the enemy camp.
'That's....'
It was the choice of Lucy, who had lost her reason to live.