27. The Rescued Ones
Deonic Ifreet, the eldest son of the Ifreet family and lord of the Naplio Marquisate, stared at the communication device with clear concern on his face.
“Brother… do I really have to come?”
Across the screen, Selena looked quite worried.
“It’s just… Karl doesn’t seem to like remembering that time at all.”
“…So?”
Deonic bit his lip, lost in thought.
His younger sister. The eldest of the Ifreet family and the young lady of the Naplio Marquisate.
A captain in the 7th Army Division during the recent Luzens War.
One of the hundreds of Imperial soldiers saved by Karl.
He pondered for a moment, then cautiously opened his mouth.
“Lenny.”
[Yes, brother.]
“Still… will you say it once?”
[I will.]
The sibling conversation ended there.
Deonic hung up the communication device and sank deeply into the back of his chair.
Closing his eyes, the past scene came back vividly.
“Whether I die here or die on the way, it’s the same. Since I’m going to die anyway, it would be better to die a little closer to home!”
During the Medal of Honor ceremony, Karl had said it was simply good luck.
In reality, some of the war survivors were gossiping that it was all just that.
That’s nonsense.
Luck? It meant the gods had smiled upon that person.
And the gods don’t help just anyone. They help those who are truly qualified.
From that perspective, Karl seemed like the kind of person who deserved it.
When everyone else had given up, Karl didn’t.
He persuaded them to return. He stood at the forefront, taking on the danger himself.
Thanks to his leadership, they were able to escape the hellish place.
Before Karl came, we all thought we were going to die helplessly.
Those who haven’t experienced it won’t understand until the moment of death.
When death comes knocking at your door, and you can’t resist.
When you have to watch your comrades who have shared life and death with you die one by one.
How excruciating and bitterly sad that moment of powerlessness and self-loathing is.
And right then, Karl came. He grabbed their hands that had given up hope.
No matter the reason, whether he could really save them or not, it didn’t matter.
He came to save us. He didn’t abandon us. That was more than enough.
And he really did save us. Every single one.
I want to say thank you. I really want to say thank you… I have to say it.
This is not just a thank you to the hero Karl.
It’s also saving the past self who was struggling in that hell.
Only then can I sleep a little more comfortably.
[Brother.]
Time passed, and contact came from Selena again.
[It says it’s okay to come.]
“…Alright. I get it. Thank you, Lenni.”
Deonic pondered for a moment and reactivated the communication device.
A short while later, the veterans appeared beyond the device.
[Captain? What’s the matter?]
“Those who can come, take some time. We need to meet the benefactor who saved us.”
At the time, we were in a daze. We even doubted if we really survived.
Afterwards, we couldn’t even greet him because we hid our identities.
[Ah, I understand!]
We have to say thank you. We have to say that thanks to you, we survived.
We have to show that we survived, met our families, and built new families.
Only then will it be a little less burdensome for our fallen comrades.
For the sake of those who died in our place. We have to say thank you.
*
Deonic, my brother, hasn’t asked me for much.
Conversely, Selena has asked my brother for more.
So I couldn’t refuse this request from Deonic.
Even though I thought Karl might dislike it, I still asked.
Fortunately, Karl agreed to my brother’s request.
“…But you didn’t say this, brother.”
“Sorry, Lenni.”
“It’s not me you should apologize to! It wasn’t just him coming, right?!”
This is embarrassing. After Deonic appeared near the academy, there were dozens more.
What made Selena even more flustered was the next words from my brother.
“Even that, we reduced the numbers as much as possible.”
“No, really…!”
I told you. Karl seems to dislike remembering that time.
It’s not just embarrassment; he seems to dislike even thinking about it.
I thought one brother would be okay, so I passed on the request.
But if you act like this, what am I supposed to be in the middle of!
Selena internally screamed and grabbed Deonic’s hand.
“If it’s like this, just go. Deonic brother. If Karl gets uncomfortable—”
“Selena?”
Ah. What to do. He’s already here.
“K, Karl. You’re here?”
“Yeah. The person standing behind is…”
Thud, thud—
Deonic passed Selena and approached Karl.
Then Selena hurriedly followed behind and stood next to Karl.
“…”
Silence. And more silence. Deonic, with Karl in front, said nothing.
He just stared at him fixedly. At least, he didn’t even greet him.
Oh, brother. What are you doing! Staring like that is rude…!
At an official first meeting, not even a greeting, staring like that?
If I say it’s because he’s challenging the opponent, no one would have a problem.
Selena was about to step in when she couldn’t take it anymore.
“…Indeed.”
With a trembling voice, Deonic opened his mouth.
“At that time, that person was it. He ran towards us who had all given up. He said let’s go together, die a little closer to home even if we die. That person was really it.”
Selena saw it. The tears glistening in my brother’s eyes.
While trying to hold them back, he extended his right hand to shake hands with the soldier.
“Deonic Ifreet. Captain of the Imperial Army at the time.”
“…It is an honor to meet the lord of the Naplio Marquisate. Karl Adelheit, Sergeant.”
A brief greeting. Hands that fell after the handshake.
Silence returned. Deonic just moved his lips, unable to say anything else.
Selena didn’t know the reason. She couldn’t understand it.
But Karl, standing in front of Deonic, knew the reason. He was another survivor of that war.
Perhaps he was reliving the hell of that moment.
“…Karl Adelheit, Sergeant.”
Deonic barely opened his mouth again.
“Thank you. For pulling us out of that hell back then.”
As he said that, Deonic gestured. Then his comrades approached.
There were junior officers from noble backgrounds and soldiers from commoner backgrounds.
In normal circumstances, it would be impossible for them to mix like this.
But they were all in special situations. Namely, they were comrades.
“Soldiers from my squad saved by Sergeant. We selected as many as possible who said they would come.”
“…”
“It must be burdensome. Just like us, Sergeant must be having a hard time remembering that day. I’m sorry. Really sorry. But I thought we couldn’t convey our gratitude in any other way.”
At those words, Karl slowly looked at the survivors.
They were people who survived on someone else’s life.
People who returned home instead of those who couldn’t return.
Clearly not guilty, but souls who consider themselves guilty.
“Thank you. For saving us.”
Deonic bowed. His squad members followed with greetings.
“…”
Karl watched the scene for a moment.
“I am also grateful. To all of you.”
He bowed towards them, saying thank you.
“Sergeant…?”
Deonic was surprised and tried to stop him from accepting the greeting.
But Karl shook his head. And then smiled gently.
“Seeing you, the people I saved, like this again. Looking at you like this, it feels like the old comrades I couldn’t save are coming to mind.”
“Ah… I’m sorry. Really sorry…”
“No. No. That’s why I’m grateful. Thanks to you, I can be a little more bold towards those guys. You who died because of me. I can say that I didn’t let your deaths be in vain.”
This is a thank you and apology to each other, to the departed comrades.
Your sacrifices were not in vain. I have repaid you, and I will live even more diligently.
So, when we meet again someday, I won’t be angry with you for just a little bit.
“Sometimes I have nightmares. Other guys I couldn’t save come to me. They cry saying they’re in pain, and every time that happens, I wake up in a cold sweat.”
At Karl’s words, Deonic and his squad members all trembled.
Everyone was the same. They were all shuddering from that guilt.
“But at least, today’s nightmare won’t come. Because you are here. Because I have evidence that I didn’t save no one.”
Hearing those words, Deonic took a deep breath and stepped back one step.
Then, after taking a firm stance, he saluted smartly.
The survivors also saluted their squad leader towards the benefactor, towards their comrades.
Towards the benefactor who saved them. And towards the other heroes standing behind him.
“…”
Karl accepted their salutes, smiled, and said “Let’s go.”
“I didn’t expect so many people to come. Let’s have dinner early. Have a cup of coffee or tea before you go. I’ll treat you. Since I received the Medal of Honor, the pension is quite generous.”
“If the Medal of Honor recipient treats, I’d be happy to drink cold water.”
“It’s different from our squad leader. Our squad leader was such a crazy guy! Wow!”
Even though they might have just met today for the first time in real meaning.
They treated each other as if they had known each other for a very long time.
“…”
Selena, watching the scene from a distance, fiddled with her hands.
She wanted to comfort Karl’s bitter appearance. To understand him.
Even if she didn’t know well, she wanted to comfort him if he said it was hard for him.
She wanted to like him as much as possible.