A War Hero With No Regrets – Chapter 9

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Luthers emptied his glass without a word.

Although he had vaguely noticed it, hearing it directly didn’t feel good.

Even in the previous cycle, when he had risen to the position of the Empire’s Supreme Commander, the President’s checks had come without fail.

No, the reason he was able to sit in the Supreme Commander’s seat in the first place was because Luthers Edan had firmly sided with the President and gained his support.

He had promised to eliminate his political enemies.

He had declared that he would dedicate the immense merit of the Empire’s victory – furthermore, the salvation of humanity – to the President.

That was why the President had bestowed the honor of Supreme Commander upon Luthers.

“…May I have a cigarette?”

“Feel free. This is your fortress, after all.”

Click.

Luthers deeply inhaled the smoke.

It made sense, since this time he had minimized contact with the President.

He hadn’t given sufficient trust to the President, and on top of that, he had made several deviant actions within the military.

From his perspective, Luthers was a person who was bothersome yet not bothersome.

Damn it.

Luthers crushed the burnt-out cigarette in the ashtray.

Now that they had driven out the Titans, were humans turning against each other?

Why did they have to fight every single day?

But once the order was given, he had to do it.

As Otto had said before.

If they said to do it, he had to do it, because that’s what a soldier was.

“Then when you said 2 years at that time… did you mean that you judged that the military would be fully controlled by around that time?”

“I can’t deny it.”

“It won’t be easy.”

Just take the Eastern Military District, for example.

The Empire had been fighting the Titans even before Luthers Edan’s commissioning.

In the process, the status of soldiers had improved incomparably to before.

It was natural, since everyone, regardless of age or gender, had experienced military training.

Not all of them would agree with the President’s intentions, and quite a few openly opposed him.

It had become impossible to suppress the dissatisfaction of the citizens and the military with the special circumstances of the war.

However, Arthur dismissed Luthers’ question with a single sentence.

“That’s for the President to handle, not for me to get involved. I’m a commander, not a politician.”

“…”

Luthers recalled the words Arthur always had on his lips.

-Luthers, the era when soldiers only had to fight well is long gone.

-If this war ends with our victory, I’m thinking of trying that damn politics thing myself.

Arthur Philias, who had left such a message while entrusting the position of Supreme Commander to him.

There was substance to his words.

The Arthur Philias that Luthers knew was indeed a soldier who was as strong as a bear and as cunning as a wolf.

“…I see.”

“Anyway, that was the situation. As for forcing it through without even asking for your opinion… I sincerely apologize. There was no other choice.”

He couldn’t sacrifice a capable war hero just for the sake of a ruler’s paranoia.

The Supreme Commander added.

It was a remark that could be taken as an insult to the President, depending on the circumstances.

Despite saying that, he was a man who clearly didn’t like the President very much.

Luthers chuckled.

“I understand what you mean. I’m rather grateful.”

“Well… that’s not the only reason, though.”

Arthur said, refilling the empty glass.

“On the day the Empire’s victory was confirmed, I could see a deep emptiness in your eyes when you said you wanted to retire. Was there not even a hint of thought about actually dying?”

“…”

“Don’t try to hide it. I’m almost sixty this year. When I look back on my life so far, only those who were looking for their own graves had that kind of atmosphere.”

Luthers tried to recall his own appearance a few months ago.

It was certainly like that.

The messy, unkempt beard.
The rough hair and sloppy attire.
Even the hollow gaze.

In fact, he had felt suicidal urges more than once or twice.

Was it because he had become numb to his own death after going through several regressions?

“That’s why I pushed you even more. Suicide or being disposed of by His Excellency the President. Either way, it’s a miserable end unfit for a hero who saved humanity, isn’t it?”

“Thank you for your concern.”

But for Luthers, death could not be the final escape like it was for others.

For him, death was a retry to make up for his mistakes.

Now that he had made up for all the mistakes he had accumulated during the forty regressions and finally left the Graveyard.

Luthers wasn’t a fool who would destroy the tower he had built with pain and sweat with his own hands.

Of course, worrying about him and not committing suicide were separate matters, so Luthers was truly grateful to Arthur.

Indeed, since being appointed to Forbidden Lake, he had stopped having negative thoughts.

Luthers Edan, the fortress commander of the Graveyard, had already been buried in the cemetery (Graveyard).

“Thanks to that, I’ve gotten much better. I don’t think you need to worry anymore.”

“That’s a relief then.”

Arthur Philias laughed.

“Anyway, since the fortress repairs are also nearing completion, His Excellency the President is thinking of fully utilizing the National Security Strategy Agency.”

As he said that, Arthur handed over a stack of documents from his pocket.

It had an unfamiliar logo with a pen and a gun drawn together, and the President’s seal was stamped on it.

National Security Strategy Agency (Security Strategic Agency)

Commonly known as SSA.

An organization that had no point of contact even once during the regressions.

Luthers slowly read through the documents, feeling a slight sense of unfamiliarity.

On the very first page, Luthers’ face was prominently displayed, but the name written there was not Luthers Edan.

Werner Grimm, Lieutenant Colonel, Director of the National Security Strategy Agency.

When Luthers raised his head to look at Arthur, he snapped his fingers and answered.

“It’s an alias on paper. As you said, it doesn’t matter what name you’re called here.”

Werner Grimm.

It seemed like a good name.

He had originally planned to live under a different name, not Luthers Edan, when he retired anyway.

“And your soldiers have all been specially promoted to officers.”

It was as he said.

After all, it was a special institution directly under the President, so it couldn’t be that all the people under him were ordinary soldiers, not officers.

Second Lieutenant John Hobbes became Captain John Hobbes.

Edward, Dante, and Otto became First Lieutenants.

Karin was a Second Lieutenant because she had the shortest career.

Overnight, they had gone from ordinary soldiers to commissioned officers.

“Now it looks like we have a proper lineup, don’t you think? There are even uniforms tailored specifically for the SSA.”

“The uniforms… no thanks.”

“No, why not? I assure you, they’re on a different level from our drab dark green uniforms!”

Instead of answering, Luthers put the documents back on the table and stood up from his seat.

“You have to try them on! It’s an order as the Supreme Commander! They suit you so well that the female soldiers will be stunned!”

“Since it’s come to this, why don’t we have dinner together? It’s a bit early, but what do you think?”

Luthers asked with a light smile.

===

“He’s good at commanding, good at fighting, good at planning operations, quick-witted, handsome with a great body, and he’s even good at cooking?”

Arthur Philias muttered as if dumbfounded.

“It’s puzzling how a man like this hasn’t been taken yet.”

Judging by the way he patted his belly, it must have been quite a satisfying dinner.

Luthers silently shrugged and put a cigarette in his mouth.

The red sunset rippled beyond the sky that touched the lake.

“Indeed, the view of Emerald Lake from the rooftop is spectacular.”

At that sight, Arthur also put a cigarette in his mouth.

Huff, puff.

As he inhaled, the cigarette lit up and puffed out smoke.

Soon, silence enveloped the rooftop.

How long had passed like that?

Around the time when the cigarette butts falling at their feet had increased to two or three, the Supreme Commander broke the silence.

“Luthers Edan, do you regret the decisions you’ve made so far?”

“…”

Luthers fell into thought for a moment.

Having decided not to regret, he had upheld only his will as the regressor Luthers Edan, not listening to anyone else’s words.

As a result, humanity had won, and all those he had wanted to protect had survived.

However, if it was about the decisions he had made so far, everything was tainted with regret.

It was pointless to say he didn’t regret it.

But regardless of Luthers’ answer, Arthur Philias continued.

“Actually, I debated a lot about whether to bring up this story or not. But I thought it would be better to let you know.”

“…?”

After saying that, Arthur paused for a few seconds, then eventually let out a sigh as if he had no choice.

“The acting commander of the Graveyard, Major General Arwen Orka, has reported you for suspicion of corruption.”

“Suspicion of corruption, you say?”

“Yes, she raised allegations that you arbitrarily embezzled various military supplies, including the military’s strategic assets, and manipulated the ledgers.”

Luthers could easily recall those details.

In a way, they could be tied to corruption.

Just taking the prototype hydrogen bomb that showed excellent effectiveness against the Titans, he had falsely reported the ledger to stock up more than the allocated quantity.

“Is that so, Arwen…”

“I knew your evaluation among your subordinates was low, but… especially Major General Arwen seemed to hate you to death.”

“That’s understandable.”

But Luthers took it surprisingly calmly.

Really.

Arwen Orka was a person who somehow achieved what she had decided to do.

Her words about making him regret it, crying and begging, were definitely not empty words.

“Are you admitting it?”

“Although they were actions absolutely necessary for the operation, strictly speaking, they were acts of corruption. And other than that… I didn’t really do anything to gain favor.”

“What? So, are you saying you’ll even undergo an investigation?”

“No. If that were the case, Commander Arthur, you wouldn’t have visited alone like this in the first place.”

“…Ha. That’s true.”

He let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded by Luthers’ unwavering attitude.

He admitted to committing corruption with his own mouth, yet he had such a brazen attitude.

Arthur thought that the hero in front of him was more cunning and impudent than he looked.

“It’s as you think. Luthers Edan’s personnel information has already been erased from the Imperial Army. The war hero of the Imperial Army and former commander of the Graveyard Fortress, Luthers Edan, does not exist. Only Werner Grimm, Lieutenant Colonel and Director of the newly established National Security Strategy Agency, exists.”

In other words.

No matter what punishment was imposed, it would have no impact on the current Luthers.

“However, military corruption is a serious matter, so even with the status of a war hero, he won’t be free from it. The information will be passed on to the military prosecutors or investigation units.”

“The conclusion is that all of those things won’t affect me, right?”

Arthur nodded.

Luthers exhaled white smoke and answered.

“Whatever Major General Arwen says about me, it has nothing to do with me anymore.”

“Truly peculiar. It’s not easy to have such a bad relationship with a direct subordinate, especially the deputy commander.”

Tsk.

Arthur’s words reminded him of the memory of that day again.

-It’s really disgusting.

Whenever he came up here to see the lake, he always heard a warm voice.

But today, it was a cold voice that seemed to tear through his heart.

“…There were various circumstances. She was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to be forgotten by people.”

“Everyone has a story. I understand.”

Arthur said that and turned around.

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it properly, just in case I told you.”

“Does the President know?”

“Of course. He personally instructed me to wrap up her accusation at an appropriate level.”

“Thank you, Commander Arthur Philias.”

“I’m the one who’s grateful, Major General Luthers Edan.”

Arthur Philias said that, then quickly corrected himself.

“No… Lieutenant Colonel Werner Grimm.”

Luthers Edan.
No, Werner Grimm watched the Supreme Commander descend from the rooftop.

Crackle.
As if discarding a burnt-out cigarette butt.

Werner Grimm buried his old name on this rooftop today.

“Werner. I need to get used to the name from the start.”

He recited in a somewhat bitter voice.

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