Bae Su-jin (3)
Valkyrie Command.
At the end of mining in the Arca Mountains, Dorothy came to Iruki with payment documents.
“93 percent of expected mining volume. “I guess we can say that we have fully accomplished our mission at this level, right?”
Iruki nodded and signed.
“great job.”
Dorothy’s lips pouted.
“what? What you mean is ‘Thank you for your hard work’?”
“You know my personality.”
Dorothy thought that Iruki was blunt, but by no means cold.
“You tend to deceive yourself. Honestly, you wanted to say something else, right? For example, love…
“Let’s go get something to eat. What do you want to eat?” Only then did Dorothy realize.
“What’s wrong with you?”
No matter how difficult the situation was, he never showed it, but today he seemed nervous.
As Iruki turned away without saying a word, Dorothy followed him and persistently asked.
“Why on earth are you doing that? You can tell me. “Is this because of the war?”
“no. Never mind…
The moment Iruki grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, he heard a woman’s voice.
“I came to meet the General Commander!” When Dorothy peeked her head out, a group of people were arguing at the end of the hallway.
“you! Do you know where you are now? Do you think a battalion commander can meet the Valkyrie general at will?”
“You can at least say something! “That bastard, or the Commander-in-Chief, will definitely let you meet him.”
“Amy?”
Dorothy’s eyes widened.
“What happened? “Why is Amy here?”
“I called you.”
Iruki responded briefly and gestured to Aromi.
“I ask you to come in.”
I know that Iruki and Amy are friends, but Aromi also had something to protect.
“But Commander-in-Chief, this is Valkyrie headquarters. “It is a violation of discipline for the lowest level of the command system to take charge of the entire military without going through due process.”
“Then what legal procedures are required for a lieutenant colonel-level officer to treat me alone?”
Aromi’s eyes tightened.
“There is no such law.”
Iruki, who understood what she wanted to say, nodded and entered the room.
“I ask you to come in.”
Ten minutes later, Amy knocked on the door and opened it.
“Amy.”
Dorothy greeted her warmly, but when she saw Amy’s expression, she quietly lowered her hand.
After an awkward amount of time passed, Amy adjusted her posture and saluted.
“Loyalty. Lieutenant Colonel Karmis Amy. “I request a meeting with General Valkyrie.”
Iruki did not receive the salute.
“It’s okay, don’t be shy.”
And he said to Dorothy:
“I’m going out for a moment.”
It was decided that there was nothing good to be gained from watching, but that was why Dorothy could not leave.
“no. It’s not about the military anyway, right? “Then I deserve to hear it too.”
Amy said.
“doesn’t care. “I won’t talk for a long time.”
Iruki sighed softly.
“So what do you want to say?”
“You know, right?”
Amy took a quick step forward.
“As of noon yesterday, my position changed. “As a training officer at the Capital Defense Command.”
“know.”
Amy’s eyebrows twitched.
“Did you order it?”
“okay.”
Her fists clenched.
“why? “What is the reason?”
“Education at the rear is as important as the battle at the front. Your unit training ability is even higher than among officers…
“Iruki.”
Amy asked again in a low voice.
“What is the reason?”
While Dorothy was struggling with the increasingly hostile atmosphere, Iruki let out a sigh.
“You have a face that makes me want to hit you.”
“I just want to know the truth. Why did you send me to the rear? “Because I’m your friend?” “I’ll promise. To be honest, I will never get angry. “Is that really the only reason you took me out of limbo?”
Iruki’s mouth slowly opened.
“okay.”
As soon as the words fell, Amy hit Iruki in the face with her fist.
When Iruki fell on the floor with a crashing sound, Dorothy hurriedly helped him up.
“Iruki! are you okay?”
When she turned her head, an excited Amy was approaching her with her fist raised.
“not there yet.”
Dorothy held out her hand.
“Not the head! “Other than this, this thing is a corpse!”
Amy seemed to think there was a point, so she raised her foot and aimed at Iruki’s abdomen.
Dorothy held out her hand.
“Not here either! “This is mine.” Amy’s eyes filled with tears.
“…What do you know?”
Iruki still had a calm expression.
“Do you know how much I trained and how many times I faced death to get to this point?”
“I don’t know.”
Iruki sat down with his upper body raised.
“I don’t need to know that to save you. I made the decision and I will take responsibility. “The junior officers stay quietly in the rear.”
Only then did Dorothy understand the situation.
‘So that’s what happened.’
I also understood the shame that Amy must have felt and the agony that Iruki must have had to make the decision despite knowing it.
Amy put her foot down.
“I can’t accept it. This is why I came here even though I knew it was a waste of time. Send me back to the front lines. That’s what you can do.”
“no. I am the general. “If you want to protest, you can be sent to the brig instead of the Capital Defense Headquarters.”
“…is that what you want? ‘I’m the only one who cowardly survives while all my comrades are dying’?”
“okay.”
“you…!”
Just as Amy was about to swear, Iruki distorted his face and screamed.
“Just survive!”
It was the first time I had seen Iruki angry since magic school days.
Iruki suddenly stood up.
“I’m already so distraught, but you’re making me irritated! Do you know what instructions I gave? Do you really want to know the truth? Shall I tell you? If you go there, everyone will die! 99% chance of death! Do you know what I mean? “If you go there, you will definitely die, you idiot!”
Once my emotions exploded, I couldn’t control them.
“How about being cowardly? I took responsibility for everything just to get you out! Is it thanks to having a friend in the military? Then how about it? Even if it’s embarrassing, endure it! They say just keep your mouth shut and I will take care of everything!”
“I understand your feelings. But Iruki…
“Shut up! How do you know my heart? Does my head look like a delusional brain? It’s obvious that I’m going to die, so they’re telling me to let you go? Aren’t you thinking about Shirone? If you die there, if you die horribly, do you think I’ll be able to see Shirone’s face properly? “Just live a little!”
Amy discovered another face hidden in Iruki’s blood-curdling face.
‘I’m not angry.’
Tears flowed down Amy’s cheeks.
‘That Iruki…
seemed scared.
It was my first time getting angry, but it was also my first time being this scared…
‘I’m sure it’s not a lie.’
If Iruki says he’s going to die, he really is going to die.
“I know what you mean. And I completely understand your desire to save me.”
On the contrary, Amy couldn’t say for sure that she wouldn’t do it like Iruki did.
“But before I am Sirone’s lover and your friend, I am a soldier. It’s mine and not defined by anyone else. And soldiers shouldn’t do that.”
Iruki, leaning on the desk, lowered his head.
“Didn’t you hear me? If you go, you’ll die. “If you’re crazy about wanting to die, you can do whatever you want.”
Amy shook her head.
“I don’t want to die. Of course I want to live. I hope you live and live happily with Sirone and your friends. But you know? As much as I want to live… I tried hard to hold back my tears.
“Other people will want to live too. And yet, we fight to protect humanity.”
Iruki said in a hoarse voice.
“…Every time I give an order, at least thousands of people die. Bad news keeps coming in. Where did 10,000 people die and where did 100,000 people die? “It lingers endlessly like an auditory hallucination.”
This is probably not a position one could endure in their right mind.
“It’s a terrible thing. Even if I don’t want to imagine what it would be like for 100,000 people to die, it shows up in my dreams. But I couldn’t imagine anything…
Iruki held his head.
“It can’t be compared to your death. “Every time I think of the face I know, the expression I know, the pain I know, I feel like I’m going crazy.”
“Iruki.”
Amy walked up to Iruki with a sad smile and stroked his cheeks.
Iruki raised his head with tears in his eyes.
“Once you get there, I can’t help you under any circumstances. “I’m so scared of that.”
Amy said with pitiful eyes.
“Iruki…
my precious friend.
How much did you think and worry while locked in a completely lonely, gray matter room?
‘Because I’m more cool-headed than anyone else.’
The current situation was unbearably scary.
Dorothy wiped away her tears.
‘Amy can’t you just stay here? ‘Since this has already happened, can’t I just live with it?’
The words welled up in my throat, but in front of Amy’s beliefs, I was just a fool.
Amy said firmly.
“don’t worry. No matter what situation comes your way, you can overcome it. I am a soldier. “There is nothing scary in this world.”
I didn’t say I would live.
“Send me back to the battlefield. Just as I am important to you, my subordinates are also important to me. I don’t want to put them at risk and guarantee it myself. I understand?”
“You’re so stubborn.”
“haha.”
Amy, who thought she had received her answer, slowly stepped back and saluted.
“I will return to my unit.” Iruki let out a sigh as his eyes looked more alive than when he first came in, even as he went to Saji.
“…I approve.”
Only then did Amy, with a satisfied smile, open the door and wave to the two people.
“I’m sorry for barging in suddenly. I’m very busy with work, so I’ll go first. have a good time.”
From now on, I had to diligently catch up to keep up with the unit’s rapid march.
“Amy…
Dorothy tried to say something, but Amy had already closed the door and left.
“You don’t want to leave room for emotions.”
Iruki went around the table and sat down on the chair, burying his face in his hands.
“Are you okay Iruki?”
“Is there any way it will be okay? Anyway, I need to know that you have had a vicious personality since your school days.”
The reason Dorothy couldn’t get closer was because Iruki’s shoulders were shaking.
“damn??????
I thought I could do anything.
‘I’m sorry, Sirone. I couldn’t stop it. I had to stop him even if it meant getting beaten to death…
that was my plan at first.
No matter what criticism I received, I planned to carry it out even if it meant not seeing Amy for the rest of my life.
“I couldn’t stop you!”
I couldn’t break her beliefs.
“Sorry. “I’m sorry, Shirone!”
Dorothy affectionately hugged Iruki’s shoulder as he shed tears.
“Get out of the way! After receiving approval from the Valkyrie Command,
Amy
raced towards the space movement magic circle.
Although time was tight, it wasn’t a distance that you couldn’t join if you were diligent in catching up.
‘Wait, you guys. I’m coming.’ The faces of the members who were about to greet us glimmered, and the unit’s morale also soared.
Amy’s eyes sparkled with life.
“I will never lose.”
Even if what awaits me is death, I will not bow down to fear.
