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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Durand Sterling was a man who took everything in the world in stride.
Even in the Graveyard, where nicknames were abundant, he was called by the bizarre nickname of “the Silent Monk”.
It was because he had very few words to begin with and didn’t show much change in his emotions.
Durand Sterling was the one who simply mourned in silence even at the deaths of his comrades.
However, due to his inherent personality, he didn’t get along well with people.
Meaninglessly expanding human relationships was a waste of energy.
It was because it could make him lose the focus and choice that were very important as a hunter.
But once he gave his heart, he would simply and stubbornly protect the other person’s back, no matter who they were.
In several cycles, he had silently followed Luthers and met his death together with him.
Coincidentally, he was the one who had witnessed Luthers’ death from behind the most, even more than his fiancées.
The trust Werner had in Durand was incomparable to others.
As soon as he realized that something had happened to Lea and Charlotte, he immediately thought of Durand as someone he could ask for help.
Of course, in this cycle where he had intentionally distanced himself from the people of the Graveyard, the deep trust they had built before was not there.
Rather, he should be grateful that Durand didn’t harbor feelings close to anger or hatred like Arwen did.
“Help me…?”
The fact that he didn’t show a strong reaction even when he heard this request right away was something to be thankful for.
No, maybe it was just because he was inherently insensitive to emotions.
In addition, Werner Grimm explained to Durand the things that Charlotte was suspected of doing.
Even Durand, who had reacted calmly at first, couldn’t hide his agitation at the news that Charlotte might be the one who detonated the nuclear bomb in Saint Francis.
It was only natural to be shocked by the news that a fellow soldier he had been close with had suddenly become a murderous demon and a terrorist who had massacred tens of thousands of citizens in an instant.
“This isn’t trivial. Are you sure about all this?”
“Yeah, I’m the Director of the Strategic Security Agency.”
[T/N: the author has changed the way he refers to the agency and did not provide an explanation so i will translate it in the new way he refers to it.]
“I thought the black uniform you were wearing looked unfamiliar.”
Durand swallowed bitterly and headed to the kitchen.
“For now, let’s have a simple meal. There’s still a lot of soup I made at lunchtime.”
“Sounds good.”
Werner didn’t refuse.
Perhaps because it was the first time in a long time that he had received kindness from an old comrade.
Somehow, he missed the past.
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The soup Durand had cooked was a cream soup made by directly collecting wild mushrooms.
It was a delicacy that captured the lush Drakchich forest that could be seen beyond the window.
As Werner had some knowledge of cooking and was also interested in the taste, he cleanly emptied the soup.
“Have you not been able to eat until now?”
“I came straight to you as soon as the Defense Industry Agency was flipped.”
“Really… you’re still working hard. I can’t say anything about your tenacity and drive, at least.”
“Is that so?”
“You’re persistent in a bad way too.”
It was light banter.
Actually, until before he came, he had been doubtful, but it seemed that Durand didn’t harbor much hostility towards Luthers Edan.
“So what do you want me to do for you?”
“We need to raid the Defense Industry Agency’s armory. What the President is desperately hiding is right there.”
“…Hmm.”
That was the real reason he had sought out Durand Sterling of all people.
He was the Reconnaissance Battalion Commander.
In the previous cycles, he was also the Reconnaissance Regiment Commander.
In some cycles, he was even promoted to the commander of a special forces unit directly under the Imperial Special Operations Command.
Unlike other individuals who were specialized only in defensive and regular warfare due to the geographical characteristics of the “fortress”, Durand Sterling was skilled in assassination and infiltration.
That’s why he was able to secure the position of commander of the Reconnaissance Battalion, which could be said to be almost the only special warfare unit that could be operated in the fortress.
Of course, what good would it do to assassinate a Titan, but if they assumed that the enemies were not Titans but those on the modern battlefield, there was no stronger force than this.
Werner, who had crossed numerous lines of death together with him, could guarantee his skills.
With Durand, it wouldn’t be difficult to turn the Defense Industry Agency upside down.
It wasn’t like Werner Grimm—Luthers Edan—could do anything alone with a snap of his fingers.
Durand quietly looked at his former superior, then soon nodded his head.
“…The hunting season is about to end anyway, so I don’t mind helping you out while I’m at it.”
It was the moment of getting one step closer to his goal.
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“You’re here.”
“Have you been doing well? It’s been a while.”
“Well… so-so.”
Arwen Orka looked at the man who was smiling at her.
She was the one who had realized that there was something in the Graveyard through a series of incidents.
Anyway, for Arwen, who was maintaining a gathering that should be called the Graveyard Alumni Association or a reunion, the first ones she sought out were the people from the Logistics Department who had worked in the same department as Charlotte.
Among them, Sergeant Hans Rockfell was a soldier who had been particularly close with Charlotte.
It was because he was a particularly outstanding person among the soldiers, and his way of speaking and personality were just like Charlotte’s.
“So how’s your leg?”
“It moves well now. It still feels awkward, but if I’ve been wearing it for 2 years, well… it’s like a part of my body now.”
Hans laughed, swinging his leg at Arwen’s words.
His right leg was a prosthetic leg made of steel.
It was a leg that had to be forcibly amputated after being exposed to Titan artillery fire during the Great War.
It was one of the atrocities committed by Luthers Edan.
It was a casualty that occurred in the process of forcibly changing the supply route to a dangerous one, instead of the existing supply route.
If the medical troops from a nearby fortress hadn’t come to the rescue in time, Hans in front of her would no longer exist in this world.
Realizing that fact, Arwen felt like she was getting heated up for no reason again.
She had tried not to think about Luthers as much as possible and not to speak recklessly after what had happened with Lea that day.
“So you’re saying that Charlotte has disappeared?”
“Not just disappeared. She disappeared with weapons that were under development. The higher-ups are taking it very seriously.”
“Hmm…”
Hans sighed, groaning.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have anything specific in mind. The last time I talked to her was two months ago.”
“Was there anything strange?”
“She did say something suggestive. Ah… right. Come to think of it, she did talk about Deputy Commander Arwen.”
Arwen’s eyes sparkled.
She straightened her posture and took out a small notebook from her pocket.
“Can you tell me as much as you remember?”
“Umm, well, it wasn’t anything particularly special. She said that the current political situation was unusual and that we needed to distinguish between the wheat and the chaff. Something like that.”
“…?”
For a moment, she wondered what that meant.
When Arwen looked at him with a puzzled expression, Hans immediately added.
“Ah, the part about mentioning the Deputy Commander was really nothing. She just said that if it’s Deputy Commander Arwen, who is currently building her career as the head of the Inspection Department, wouldn’t she be able to distinguish such people more easily… That’s all.”
Something didn’t add up.
Of course, that’s usually what the Inspection Department did.
Managing and supervising the talents of the Imperial Army, rewarding soldiers who fulfilled their duties, and reprimanding those who didn’t.
It wasn’t for no reason that there was a separate Inspection Department despite having investigative agencies within the military, such as the military police and military prosecutors.
But there was no reason to specifically mention her name, was there?
It was information that couldn’t be overlooked, so Arwen transcribed Hans’ words onto her notebook, even though there were some unsettling points.
“Anyway, I’m sorry I couldn’t be of much help. Especially since you came all this way.”
“…No, this much is enough. I was going to visit you once anyway. I went to see the other guys separately last time, you know Yuri Romanov? The one whose wrist was blown off.”
“Ah! Of course I know him! He’s the guy from the next battalion who was carried away next to me.”
“That’s right…”
Arwen swallowed a bitter remark.
Both of them had acquired permanent disabilities that couldn’t be restored, but they were somehow living on.
If they hadn’t had such disabilities, wouldn’t the two of them have been able to live a more joyful life?
Such regret passed through Arwen’s mind.
“But what matters is that we’re alive. If you die, everything ends.”
Hans smiled and looked out the window.
“To have lived to see the end of the war, just looking at that sunset is enough for the price of one leg.”
“With that mindset, you’ll be able to achieve anything, Hans.”
“Thank you, Deputy Commander Arwen. Ah, right, by the way…”
“Huh?”
It was already winter, so the sun set early.
As it was a business visit, she didn’t want to disturb Hans’ rest, so she was about to quickly get up from her seat.
That’s when Hans grabbed Arwen’s feet.
“By any chance, do you know how Commander Luthers is doing these days?”
“…Luthers? Why him?”
“Ah, no, it’s just that I haven’t heard from him lately. Until last month, he occasionally sent letters along with living expenses to support us. Now that I’ve settled down to some extent, I thought I’d repay the favor…”
“What do you mean?”
Arwen couldn’t believe her ears.
Supporting living expenses?
“Ah… you didn’t know? Didn’t Yuri tell you? We’ve been receiving donations under the name of the Disabled Veterans Association… It turned out that it was all from Commander Luthers’ personal money.”
Hans scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
“Oh my… I really resented him a lot at one point, but when he cares for us to this extent, I feel rather apologetic. So I wanted to meet him in person and buy him a mealㅡ, uh… Deputy Commander?”
Hans couldn’t finish his words.
It was because Arwen had abruptly stood up from her seat, an expression of disbelief on her face.
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