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LOS 80
The great war took many things. The homes of countless people, hopes and dreams for the future. Was that all? It would have been better if that were all.
Many people died. Among them were Luise's colleagues and subordinates. Yet, even as she watched their breath fade away, Luise had to push forward heartlessly.
That was the nature of war. There were things more important than mourning the deaths of others right in front of her.
As 'Major Gottlieb,' that was the case, but Luise Gottlieb had never once been able to ignore their deaths. Even so, she tried desperately to forget their faces and names. She feared that the traces of the dead would become lingering attachments and nightmares, shackling her feet.
Luise still remembered the day her direct adjutant's breath flickered out. He never opened his eyes until the end. Though he was her adjutant, he had been the most reliable and closest friend. He was also a junior she had cherished since their days as cadets.
Because she had doted on him a bit, he often grew arrogant and overstepped his bounds.
It was the same that day.
Just as he had in the old days, the adjutant—who managed to get on Luise's nerves until the very end—eventually left her side like all the others.
This time, there was no cheerful smile or apology.
Giles opened his eyes as a sudden, chilling sensation splashed across his face. Looking around with a drenched face, he saw that everyone, except for one person, wore a look of bewilderment.
Luise, looking disheveled, was glaring at him while holding a water glass. It was clear she had splashed the water on him without warning. Thanks to that, or perhaps despite it, he could now see clearly with a lucid mind.
"Major, splashing water on a patient so suddenly..."
At that, a fierce gaze shifted toward the doctor. The words stopped instantly.
"Report."
Hearing the voice that seemed to be suppressing anger, the doctor answered quickly.
"Fortunately, he was rescued in time, so there are no major physical issues. However, it would have been dangerous had he stayed inside any longer. It is a relief that he didn't inhale too much smoke."
"Recovery?"
"Blisters will form on the scorched areas. As long as those parts are treated as instructed, everything else should be fine."
Luise nodded. The doctor then left the room quickly, as if he had been waiting for the gesture to dismiss him. Giles felt numerous eyes surrounding him.
Before he could ask anything, Luise spoke once more.
"Everyone, get out."
"Pardon?"
"I said get out. All of you. It seems our Captain needs some serious discipline."
The soldiers, glancing tentatively at her, filed out of the room one by one. Soon, only Giles and she remained in the room he was seeing for the first time.
As soon as her subordinates left, Luise took out a cigarette and put it in her mouth. Her movements in lighting it with a new lighter were hurried.
"...Is it alright to smoke next to a patient?"
Giles asked in a raspy voice. Luise's gaze shifted toward him. As if suppressing rising emotions, she slowly inhaled the cigarette smoke and exhaled it.
Luise perched slightly on the table, looking down at him.
"Why did you do it?"
"..."
"Did you really intend to die? Lighting a fire in there?"
Giles did not answer. Only a gloom over the fact that his plan had failed due to a rookie mistake enveloped him.
Luise pressed him to the end.
"Or was it rebellion? You must have thought I looked easy enough to tolerate that kind of rebellion. Am I right?"
"Calm down. I wasn't trying to kill myself."
"You really could have died. You want me to believe the words of a man who lit a fire in a locked room? Were you indirectly expressing a desire to be burned at the stake since you're going to be executed anyway?"
Giles looked up at her with confused eyes. Luise's voice was calm, but Giles could tell she was furious.
Not as a Major, but as Luise herself.
"You idiot. That door is structured so it cannot be opened from the inside. It can be opened freely from the outside, but once the door is closed, a key is required to open it from within. What, is Ipswin so outdated that you've never seen something like that before?"
"So that's how it was. I'll keep that in mind for next time."
"You arrogant brat, you still haven't answered my question."
The cigarette was burning down between her fingers.
Her gaze was the same.
"I asked why you did it."
"...Are you asking because you're genuinely curious?"
"Stop beating around the bush and answer with your own mouth."
"I tried to escape during the blackout. I assumed you would have noticed."
"Do you think I'm asking because I didn't know that? I'm asking why you suddenly changed your mind."
The handcuffs restraining his wrists clinked again. His head began to ache as he realized the opportunity to unlock them would not come again.
He should have succeeded.
It was his failure for being distracted by the guards and failing to notice the door.
"I've been watching you every day. Until recently, you certainly seemed like a dead man. Forcing yourself to eat, barely answering questions. I saw no will to live in you. Well, that's the typical look of a death row inmate. It wasn't surprising. But you suddenly changed."
Luise took another drag of her cigarette. Even then, her gaze never let him go.
"Since when were you harboring that cute little plan in your head?"
Suddenly, she flashed a bitter smile.
"Or did your habit of stealing give you hope?"
"..."
"Once you got your hands on something useful, you couldn't resist. For a moment, you thought you could win against me, didn't you? Giles Hessen, tell me. What were you thinking that day?"
"What do you mean?"
"The day of the blackout. What were you thinking? Was the reason you didn't run away and leave me behind just to pull a stunt like this?"
Giles lowered his gaze. It seemed Luise believed he had saved her while harboring some other objective. That was true. To some extent. However, the thought of stealing the lighter came a bit later.
"Right. There's no way you stayed by my side out of some sudden sense of camaraderie. Now that I think of it as a thoroughly calculated move, it all makes perfect sense. I feel pathetic for even wondering for a moment if I had misunderstood you."
Giles didn't bother explaining. Even if he did, it didn't seem like Luise would accept it, and he was too tired to waste energy.
"Giles Hessen. What was the catalyst that made you change your mind?"
"Don't you think it's quite obvious?"
"What?"
"Anna told me. Not to give up."
Luise's movements stopped for a moment. Only the cigarette smoke drifted in the air. Of course, she did not look convinced.
"Just because of that?"
"Anna wants me to live."
"Were you so dull that you only realized that now?"
"...Perhaps. Considering I had forgotten such an obvious fact for a while."
Watching him smile faintly, Luise remained silent for a moment. It was as if she hadn't expected to see such an expression from Giles.
"It doesn't matter anyway. There is absolutely no way you will escape the scaffold."
"We'll see about that."
"Giles Hessen. For a moment, I..."
Luise brushed back her messy hair with one hand. Then, she spoke with a resigned expression.
"Forget it. Let's stop here. What use is it saying such things to someone like you."
"Since I answered your question, may I ask one as well?"
Their eyes met. Giles didn't bother waiting for permission.
"When you pulled me out of that room... why did you cry?"
It was a memory that had flickered by while his consciousness was hazy, so he wasn't even sure himself. Whether he had seen it correctly. Whether it was true that Luise, a high-ranking officer of Beldam, had shed tears over a mere prisoner.
He thought perhaps he had been mistaken. Or that he had seen a hallucination.
However, seeing Luise—who he expected to give a harsh answer immediately—fall silent for a moment, Giles grew curious.
Why is she hesitating?
Surprisingly, instead of getting angry or mocking him, she said:
"I wish I knew the reason myself."
Luise crushed the cigarette out. She expressed her lack of desire for further conversation by pulling down her military cap.
"Don't think about causing any useless commotion. You can never escape. Even if you do, it's only a matter of time before you're caught. If you act that way, we won't be able to just sit back and watch."
She added,
"So, it would be best to stop before things become uncomfortable for both of us."
Luise left the room without lingering. As soon as she departed, Giles let out a secret sigh.
Luise's warning had no effect on him. Now, how should he look for the next opportunity? The security would become tighter, and Luise would never show a weak side before him again.
He felt that perhaps a second chance would not come again until the moment he was dragged to the scaffold.
Staring at the window blocked by boards, Giles suddenly recalled the image of Luise grabbing him and screaming. And the fact that she did not deny that she had shed tears.
Why did she do that?
Had she forgotten for a moment that Giles was a prisoner?
Why had she looked at him as if he were a dying comrade?
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