Sometimes, the lives of many people at the crossroads of life and death are determined by the actions of a single person.
In reality, this is rare. However, it often happens on the battlefield.
Should we save them? Or should we save those?
Should we save the enemy prisoners? Or should we save our isolated comrades?
Should we save the seriously injured soldier? Or should we save myself, who is also injured?
And if one of the two must die. If it is impossible to save both and only one must be chosen.
Should we rush out right now to save the innocent civilians of the small town?
Or should we save the injured soldiers and prisoners, who have been alongside us for years and have no will to resist?
Colonel Meijhem found himself unknowingly at a crossroads in choice.
And he made his decision without hesitation.
As if it was the most natural thing in the world, without anticipating the terrible future that choice would bring. Just like that.
The result was a terrible disaster that struck Palts City. Too many citizens, those innocent civilians, were horrifically burned to death simply because they were citizens of the Empire.
In a room of the city hall. People were herded into a room that was neither too cramped nor comfortably spacious, and were burned alive as fire was set from outside.
Most of the corpses found incinerated in the city hall were government employees working there or several unfortunate civilians who had happened to be there at that moment.
The citizens died simply because they caught the attention of a frenzied army filled with the desperate desire to do something at a critical moment of withdrawal.
And perhaps they could have been saved.
The heat that burned the city hall was still warm. The smell of burning permeated everywhere, and the corpses with blood and viscera still oozing surely had not been there for long.
If Colonel Meijhem had followed the orders of his superior without question.
If he had ruthlessly pushed aside the prisoners and injured who slowed the advance of his unit, dismissing international law as something irrelevant.
If, moving as quickly as possible, he had recaptured Palts City before the enemy could even make a move.
If he had not considered the hundreds or thousands of soldiers as individual beings but rather judged them as numbers like generals. If he had not worried about the soldiers who had to be lost in the rapid advance.
Then perhaps the outcome might have been a little different. Those innocent civilians who unjustly lost their lives in the raging flames of the city hall might not have died.
If the soldiers, who often faced death in battle, had sacrificed themselves, perhaps the civilians who should never have died due to war could have lived.
And that would be a fact that would be a bit… no, quite a burden to accept.
If only I had been a little more composed.
If only I had been a little more faithful to my duty.
If only I had been a little more soldier-like—.
Being soldier-like. That was a ridiculous statement.
Do soldiers not have to be faithful to orders? Do soldiers not have to comply with regulations?
If so, are soldiers not beings who must sacrifice their lives to protect the people? Is that not the significance of a soldier, of an army’s existence?
If one wants to speak of the soldier’s spirit that way, should he not have saved the citizens of Palts City?
Should he not have punished the madmen who massacred the innocent civilians of the homeland right then and there?
Should he not have pressed a gun to his temple, pulled the trigger, and seen the blood and brain matter splattered on the floor…. Should he not have prayed for the souls of the unjustly dead civilians?
Colonel Meijhem had accomplished nothing. Not protecting civilians, not alleviating the guilt of soldiers. Truly… nothing at all.
The results of forcing soldiers to charge through trenches were a distorted achievement of occupying Palts City and the admonishment from his superiors questioning why he had not followed orders.
However, because it was wartime, Colonel Meijhem was not immediately punished. Instead, he was even slated for promotion to colonel.
But that was something that did not matter much.
Colonel Meijhem could not move an inch from the noose of contradictions binding him. It felt like he was suffocating.
It was a feeling of his blood drying up. Colonel Meijhem felt a tingling in his fingertips. His fingertips had turned pale.
Not just his hands. His face, his toes, his arms and legs had all gone pale.
It looked, it looked… almost like a corpse.
But at the same time, it brought forth the horrifying images of those who had been burned black.
He, Colonel Meijhem was.
I—.
When he opened his eyes, he was at home.
Colonel Meijhem slowly blinked. He still felt the heavy fatigue from his slightly dazed mind. It was because he hadn’t slept properly.
‘…Did I doze off?’
The musty smell of paper in the study tickled his nose. The dim light from the lamp vaguely swept over Colonel Meijhem’s face.
Colonel Meijhem felt dirty. It had been a while since he had such an unpleasant dream.
He had thought the nightmares of the past were over, but they were not. Colonel Meijhem had to relive one of the worst experiences he had ever had, once more through a dream.
When he touched his forehead, he felt a bit of moisture and grease on his palm. Cold sweat was beading on his brow.
The dream had been far too vivid. Immediately after waking up, Colonel Meijhem was under the illusion that he was still in Palts City.
However, this was fortunately home. A world where Colonel Meijhem’s beloved wife and two children, who were precious enough that he wouldn’t feel pain even if they were placed in his eyes, existed.
The smell of decaying corpses from the past in the dream felt like something from a different world. It seemed completely unrelated to Colonel Meijhem’s life of a peaceful daily life with a happy family.
If he held his eyes closed, he could hear the sound of clattering from somewhere in this little mansion. It must be his wife, Melissa, preparing a delicious dinner.
From somewhere, he could hear a creaking chair. It must be his daughter, who had returned home from the academy dormitory before the weekend, wrestling with her assignment.
All of those things felt so sweet. Normalcy was such a precious thing. Colonel Meijhem knew that fact all too well.
And because of that, the remnants of the memories he had experienced just a while ago felt… so very distant.
A strange world where blood splattered, flesh burst, and human lives were treated as lesser than a dog.
A world where the ‘line’ that humans must minimally uphold had seemingly vanished.
The delicious smell of dinner prepared by his beloved wife would drift through, and their daughter studying in the warm home would enjoy the meal and smile broadly.
And thinking of their son returning home after work, the peace Colonel Meijhem had worked a lifetime to achieve would finally arrive.
But, could it really be like that?
Is it alright for me to experience this happiness alone? Did I deserve this?
Colonel Meijhem had to endure the pain of something sharp like a needle poking his conscience. It was certainly a lethal blow.
– The servants ride horses while the lords walk like servants.
– …What is that?
– It is a passage from the Bible. Do you know what the next line is?
Amidst the pervasive guilt, the words of Priest Antorelli suddenly flashed through Colonel Meijhem’s mind.
– It is a secret. Find out for yourself.
Why was that, he wondered.
– We are not murderers.
Colonel Meijhem covered his face with his remaining left hand. The half of his face that was not covered felt particularly bare.
‘The Bible…’
Without particularly intending to, Colonel Meijhem had found himself searching for the Bible on the shelf in the study. In a corner of the small study, he was able to find an old Bible.
“The servants ride horses… the servants ride horses….”
Though Priest Antorelli had taught him the passage, he did not reveal where it was from. Colonel Meijhem found himself looking hard at the densely packed text of the Bible for quite some time.
“Anton. Dinner is ready.”
At that moment, the door to the study opened cautiously, and Melissa peeked her head in.
“…Anton?”
“Oh, Melissa.”
Colonel Meijhem smiled awkwardly as he turned to her. Each time he saw her, images of their third child came to mind, which made the corners of his mouth naturally quirk awkwardly.
“What are you looking at? The Bible?”
“…Just looking for a passage.”
“You’re looking for a passage without even knowing which one? That’s going to take an eternity…?”
Yes. If he was unlucky, he might not find it even if he stayed up all night. Colonel Meijhem sighed.
“What’s it about?”
Melissa asked him as she wiped her hands dry on her apron and approached Colonel Meijhem.
Now that he thought about it, Melissa was quite a religious person. Colonel Meijhem found it utterly unfathomable why he hadn’t thought of that.
“…The story of the lords and the servants.”
“Hmm… I think it was from the Revelation….”
“Revelation….”
“Oh, here it is. From Revelation 7, verses 1 to 10.”
“…Oh.”
“Anton. I’ll be downstairs first, so you better hurry down, okay?”
“Sure. I’ll be down in a moment.”
After giving Melissa a quick kiss on the cheek, Colonel Meijhem recited the first line of the part she had pointed out to him in his mind.
“Thou shalt not kill.”
That was the first sentence of the passage Melissa had pointed out.
For a moment, Colonel Meijhem could not tear his eyes away from that powerful sentence. He slowly began to read the following verses.
And at the very end, he was able to find what he sought.
“The servants ride horses, and the lords walk like servants….”
It was the exact same verse that Priest Antorelli had mentioned. Then, the part that Priest Antorelli had vaguely suggested he look up must be from the next verse onwards.
Colonel Meijhem’s eyes moved busily. The densely written letters filled his vision one after another, and when he finished reading them all.
“……”
Colonel Meijhem quietly closed the book. An inexplicable surge of emotion began to seep out.
“Priest Antorelli, you….”
As Colonel Meijhem stared blankly into space, he slowly rose to his feet and left the study. The delicious aroma and the faint sounds of family conversations filled the air.
As he descended the stairs, his pace quickened. All that occupied Colonel Meijhem’s clear mind were the faces of his family.
“Why are you so late? The food will get cold.”
“Father. You’re here?”
“Hurry up and eat.”
He was no longer a soldier.
Colonel Meijhem was now one of them.
Deep night.
Laura von Adelheit tucked the softly flowing white veil behind her ears.
Amid the faint sound of buzzing insects, she was staring intently at a particular verse of the Bible that lay open before her.
“The servants ride horses; the lords walk like servants.”
The verse from the Bible that Professor Antorelli had pointed out during his last class, that last sentence.
Laura was not very confident about the interpretation or background of the Bible. Therefore, all she could do was alternate between the Bible and theological texts, inferring the meanings contained within them.
“Sigh… what on earth does this mean…?”
Professor Antorelli had wished to see her in better form in their next class. His words lingered in Laura’s mind.
It was true that the students in Class A had shown a rather low level of performance. Laura, having remained silent and done nothing in that situation, had received the reprimand from Professor Antorelli aimed at her as well.
“…I will definitely figure it out.”
Thus, the only thing Laura could do, after quickly finishing her tasks from the magic department, was this.
The section pointed out by Professor Antorelli was indeed strange. His act of pointing out a particular segment felt extraordinarily kind.
Therefore, it was curious. If that were the case, would it not be easier for Professor Antorelli to simply conduct the class himself?
Or would he prefer for the students to find the answers for themselves? That made sense.
“Ugh…”
Laura groaned while looking at the Bible and slightly opened the window to cool her heated head. The cool spring wind blowing from outside gently turned the page of the Bible before her.
“It’s refreshing….”
Savoring the coolness of the breeze, Laura reached out her hand to return the page that had flipped over.
And then, she froze.
“……Huh?”
For a moment, she forgot to breathe as she stared intently at the Bible.
The verse that Professor Antorelli had pointed out. Revelation, chapters 7, verses 1 to 9.
If she flipped the page, the next verse, chapter 7, verse 10 would appear.
And Laura was staring at it.
“This, this is…”
The moment she read the following content, Laura realized that something in her mind had burst—like an explosion.
And it was understandable because, based on the following context…
“Prof, Professor was… wrong?”
Something entirely unexpected and new had emerged, catching her by surprise.
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