I Became a Retired War Hero the Heroines Are Obsessed With – Prologue

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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He sighed.

“Ah… Shit…”

There was a common joke.

They said the army would give you a place to sleep, food to eat, and no way out.

They also said they’d give you food, clothes, and your life.

Every Korean man had to go, so before they went, they’d boastfully volunteer for the Marines with a strange confidence… but those who returned shuddered and warned others away.

The military was that kind of hellhole.

And the funny thing was, you could express all your joys and sorrows with just one word.

When you first enlisted:

“Shit…”

When you were drafted to the battlefield before training was properly finished:

“Shit?!”

When you stood guard after a fierce battle:

“…Shit.”

When you finally ate a special meal after days of nothing but disgusting combat rations:

“Sh, Shit!”

When the comrade who had been by your side yesterday returned as a corpse:

“Sh…it…”

When you had to force yourself to boost morale in a seemingly endless battle:

“Shiiiit!!!”

And finally…

“Shiiiit! It’s over!”

The war that seemed like it would last forever finally declared an armistice.

In all these situations, there was no other word to use but “shit.”

Perhaps I would never be able to stop saying this word until the day I died.

He exhaled.

“Hoo…”

The vast plain, which should have been full of blue light, had long been stained red with countless pieces of flesh and blood.

A place that could only be described as a sea of corpses and blood.

I stood there alone.

“So now…”

Looking up at the clear blue sky, I thought about what would come after the war.

But only for a moment.

Caw-

The ominous cry reminded me of what I had to do.

“Hoo… Shit.”

After the armistice was declared, the first thing I did was collect the bodies of my comrades.

Even if I didn’t know their names, they were comrades who had fought alongside me.

Their lives were too precious to be left as food for beasts.

“…”

Silently, I searched for the insignia of our army, examining the sacrifices piled up on the blood-soaked earth.

It was my own private memorial service, a tribute from the one who had cowardly survived.

“I’ll carry your futures.”

I willingly chose to bear the shackles of the future.

It didn’t matter if they didn’t want me to.

The dead couldn’t speak.

“Of course, I have things to do, so it’ll take a while. Don’t resent me too much. Should’ve lived.”

I sneered at their cold bodies, the corners of my lips lifting.

If they had lived, even if they had lost limbs and become crippled… if only they had lived…

“Well, this place isn’t just getting a bolt from the blue…”

Red raindrops trickled down my cheeks.

“…It’s raining and shit.”

I stood still, letting the pouring rain wash over me.

The sky was clear, without a single cloud.

We had brought down the curtain on a long, long tragedy.

“Allen! Are you alright?!”

The old man’s voice reached me belatedly.

It wasn’t long after the messenger had announced the armistice.

Looking at the old man’s rapidly approaching face, I muttered:

“…Shit.”

It was a truly foul day.

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