A War Hero With No Regrets – Chapter 5

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Clink.

The translucent amber-colored liquor filled the transparent glass.

Valentine 30 years.

It was a brand famous for its premium whiskey, but even among them, it was one of the most expensive products.

Luthers Edan quietly stared at the swirling liquor glass.

“They wouldn’t have this in the Graveyard. Drink up. I heard you didn’t even attend the victory commemoration ceremony.”

Supreme Commander Arthur Philias.

Just by sitting there, he exuded the mature refinement and charisma of a seasoned soldier.

Luthers bowed his head and picked up the glass Arthur handed him, downing it in one gulp.

Was it really an expensive drink?

It was hot as if it would burn his throat, but at the same time, it was soft and sweet.

Then Supreme Commander Arthur Philias exclaimed in surprise.

“No, you… How can you drink it like that!? It’s not like drinking beer, if you just gulp it down…!”

“It’s alcohol anyway. No matter how expensive it is, how much could it be?”

“My, my…”

Arthur clicked his tongue, looking at the unyielding Luthers.

Luthers Edan.

He had heard rumors about him several times.

That a newly appointed officer at the Graveyard was sweeping through the ranks at a terrifying speed.

In just a few years, he had risen from a junior commissioned officer to a general’s position.

In fact, rapid promotion was not particularly unusual in the Imperial Army.

The Titans were a powerful force.

The legion of death that endlessly crawled out even when bombarded with powerful air strikes and poured in with tanks and infantry as if grinding them.

It wasn’t just the soldiers that were torn apart in the war.

Officers and soldiers alike disappeared without a trace every day like alcohol spilled on the ground.

In such a situation, there was no reason to question the length of service anywhere.

Especially for Arthur Philias, who was far from the rigid and stuffy authoritarianism.

“So why did you call me?”

Luthers Edan said, looking straight at Arthur.

When Arthur asked Luthers what reward he wanted at the time of victory, Luthers answered with retirement.

It wasn’t about using his status as a war hero to enter politics.

Nor was it about securing a position in a military company and earning a huge fortune.

Just retirement.

It was a request to disappear to a place where no one knew him and live a quiet life.

At first, Arthur was surprised, but soon understood that it could be the case.

The 5-year war had taken away too much.

People were collapsing from exhaustion, and it was no different even after the victory.

Rather, since their goal had been achieved, the problem was how to live from now on.

Perhaps even the war hero Luthers had fallen into such a dilemma.

But Arthur Philias had no intention of letting go of the strategist and outstanding soldier in front of his eyes.

So he called him to persuade him.

“Have you heard of Forbidden Lake Fortress?”

Luthers nodded.

The Forbidden Lake.

It was a frontline fortress no less than the Graveyard.

That’s why many people died there.

There was a reason why the name changed from Emerald Lake to the ominous Forbidden Lake.

“That was originally the fortress I was in charge of.”

“I see.”

Arthur said, slowly sipping his liquor glass.

“I couldn’t pay much attention to it after becoming the Supreme Commander, but at some point, I heard that it had been annihilated by a concentrated attack from the Titans.”

“…”

It was a common occurrence.

Because it was war.

During the several regressions Luthers had gone through, the Graveyard he commanded had met the same fate.

“Since then, I’ve been managing it as my direct fortress. It’s a completely destroyed defensive position anyway. No one said anything.”

It wasn’t for nothing that the fortresses were tightly connected.

Even if one fortress was annihilated and destroyed, if the Titans couldn’t annihilate the surrounding fortresses, they couldn’t enter human territory.

Thud.

Arthur put down his glass and said.

“You’ll go there.”

“What do you want me to do at a destroyed fortress?”

“We must now prepare for a new future.”

There was firm will and conviction in his eyes as he looked at Luthers.

Luthers, who had gone through several regressions, realized what the Supreme Commander wanted to say.

“As the defeat of the Titans became certain, the situation in the neighboring countries began to change little by little.”

It wasn’t just them who were fighting the Titans.

On the 4th anniversary of the start of the war.

The unmanned aircraft deployed on a long-range reconnaissance mission luckily detected an artificial signal from beyond the mountain range they had advanced to.

A neighboring country they thought had perished had survived.

Republic of Bostania.

Svarog Federation.

Kingdom of Wales, etc.

They all suffered damage to the point of worrying about their national survival due to the Titans.

But thanks to that, they were able to somewhat reduce the burden on the front lines.

However, even if they were allies who fought together against the Titans.

Now that it was all over, the circumstances of each country that had been sleeping beneath the surface began to emerge.

“There are already noises about the division of Titan-occupied territories.”

“…”

Luthers let out a deep sigh at Arthur’s words.

How did they manage to turn things around for peace, yet they were in chaos over those pieces of land?

“So you want me to engage in conflicts with them? To train soldiers or something in an abandoned fortress?”

Luthers answered coldly and stood up from his seat.

Arthur Philias was a good person, but he couldn’t personally accept this proposal.

Because true rest without having to think about anything was the only reward Luthers Edan wanted.

However, as if Arthur had anticipated even that reaction, he added with a faint smile.

“No, there’s no need to engage in conflicts. You’re officially retired from the military.”

“Then…?”

The Supreme Commander pulled out an appointment order from his pocket.

It was an order from the President appointing Luthers Edan as the director of the National Security Strategy Agency.

Luthers couldn’t understand.

Not only was it not a discharge, but it was an appointment to a department he had never heard of.

But as if finding such a reaction amusing, Arthur burst into laughter.

“You are now the director of the National Security Strategy Agency. And the National Security Strategy Agency is within the military, but at the same time, it’s an abnormal institution that doesn’t officially belong to the military. Its headquarters is Forbidden Lake.”

“What kind of nonsense is that…? I clearly said I wanted to be discharged.”

“It’s an order from the President. And I have already recommended you for it.”

The corners of Arthur’s eyes crinkled.

Luthers was familiar with that gaze.

It was the same gaze he had shown him in the previous cycle when Luthers had taken the position of Supreme Commander.

A playful gaze that said it was already a decided matter and disobedience would not be allowed.

Moreover, it was the President.

No matter how much of a war hero Luthers Edan was, he couldn’t refuse an order from the President.

And he knew how extreme the President was… without having to say it.

He was a person who would be a corpse if you took away his pride and politics, so who knew what fault he would find, saying he disobeyed his order.

“Sigh…”

Luthers sighed and firmly refused.

“I still don’t want to do it.”

Arthur Philias, who had been smiling good-naturedly, flashed his eyes when Luthers refused even the last proposal.

“I have no intention of engaging in politics, nor do I want to become a businessman…”

Clink.

He refilled the empty glass with liquor.

“You said you simply wanted to live quietly, but in the end, it’s a life without any goals, plans, or meaning. Were you thinking of committing suicide or something?”

“No.”

“Don’t lie. I can tell just by looking at your eyes. Those are not the eyes of someone who looks forward to the future.”

Arthur Philias sharply pointed out.

“The war is over. Everyone is so overjoyed that they are having festivals every day. Just go out on the streets, there’s no one who isn’t smiling. Isn’t it amazing? Until just a few years ago, there was no hope to be found, but now everyone is relishing that hope.”

“…”

“But why are you, and only you, wearing a face like you’re about to die? The legendary fortress commander who didn’t lose a single soldier even in the midst of several years of fierce battles.”

Luthers couldn’t answer.

Could he arbitrarily reveal the fact that he was a regressor who had turned back the past dozens of times?

In the first place, it was a truth he had hidden even from those he cherished the most.

“If you weren’t thinking of suicide, answer me, Major General. What drove you to this point?”

“It’s really nothing… I just feel empty.”

Luthers answered slowly, shaking his head from side to side.

What was the reason he left the Graveyard in the first place?

It was too painful to stay there.

All the relationships he had formed during the forty regressions were there.

Miserable deaths, and terrible ends worse than death.

He remembered and experienced all of them.

Luthers had no choice but to push them away.

Because he couldn’t taste that pain again.

He deliberately said harsh words and treated his subordinates badly.

If there was a sign of someone trying to approach him with familiarity like Lea, he would roughly push them away.

Instead, even if someone lost a leg, he saved their life.

Wasn’t being disabled better than dying?

The Graveyard Fortress was nothing more than a graveyard where everyone’s corpses were buried for Luthers.

“Just 2 years.”

“2 years, you say?”

“Just take the position of director for 2 years. By then, our direction will be roughly determined. And above all, the President…”

Arthur paused for a moment, then nodded and swallowed his words.

“No, it’s better not to talk about this. Anyway, you just need to endure for 2 years. After that, I assure you, you’ll be able to retire in a better environment.”

He wasn’t particularly curious about what kind of conversation had taken place regarding his appointment.

Simply in terms of the period, it was just 2 years.

Compared to the 5 years so far, and furthermore, the forty repeated regressions, it wasn’t even a fleeting moment.

And by that time, perhaps he too would be able to completely break free from the swamp of the past.

From the traces left by the repeated deaths.

Wouldn’t he be able to cleanly sweep away all the fragments of happiness that the Titans had taken away?

In fact, now that he had left that place, it seemed like it didn’t really matter where he went.

He quietly looked at the appointment order.

“If you need time to think, you can stay at the Supreme Command for a while before leaving. There are many places to stay. The facilities are incomparably better than the frontlines.”

But there was one thing he had to get a promise for.

“But I have a condition.”

“What is it?”

“Please process my official retirement and give me a new identity.”

“My, my…”

Arthur Philias said as if he couldn’t understand.

“Why is that?”

“I don’t need the honor of being a war hero either. I just want to be completely forgotten by the people who know the name Luthers Edan.”

Of course, he wouldn’t be able to understand.

Arthur Philias was a capable commander, but he wasn’t a regressor.

“Well… That’s not difficult to do. We can arbitrarily choose a name… As for the rank…”

Luthers Edan thought for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“Lieutenant Colonel would be appropriate.”

“Lieutenant Colonel, huh. Perfect. It’s just right, so you won’t be unnecessarily suspected. Then, I take it that you accept my proposal.”

Arthur Philias held out his hand with a satisfied smile.

“I’m counting on you, Major General Luthers Edan. No… Lieutenant Colonel.”

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