A man who had decided to retire stepped outside and gazed up at the sky.
It was the busiest time of day, yet he had the luxury of coming outside for a cigarette. It was a privilege only someone nearing the end of his service could enjoy. The thought pleased him, but it also left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Twenty years….”
The man was thirty-five years old, and before long, he would complete his twentieth year of military service.
It had been one hell of a military career.
He had enlisted at sixteen during the war and served for nearly twenty years. In that time, he had endured every filthy thing imaginable.
There were several reasons a man with few attachments had gritted his teeth and remained in this godforsaken army.
One of them had recently disappeared.
「Haynes Orphanage」
The orphanage director—the nun who had taken him in and raised him after he was abandoned as a child—had died.
To repay her kindness, he had donated part of his monthly salary to the orphanage without fail.
However, after her death, the orphanage was audited for negligent management, and it was now said that the institution would be transferred to state ownership.
Thanks to that, he could finally let go of the orphanage without any lingering regret.
The second reason was his disciples.
He had saved those poor bastards who, like him, had been dragged into the army at a young age. Out of a sense of responsibility, he had looked after them until they could stand on their own.
Now, they were doing better than he was.
They could take care of themselves from here on out. All that remained was for an obsolete relic like him to step aside.
The third reason was that the subordinates he had watched leave, one after another, had either found their freedom or settled into new lives.
The time had finally come.
In truth, he had heard the news concerning the second and third reasons quite some time ago.
The only thing that had kept him in the army was Haynes Orphanage.
The orphanage had received benefits merely because he remained in active service.
But now that it had been handed over to the state, he truly had nothing left to hold him back.
The reason he had forced himself to remain in the military was gone. At last, he could prepare to take off this uniform without regret.
There would be no more extensions to his service.
Just as he reaffirmed his decision—
“Lieutenant Colonel Kyle! So this is where you were!”
“What is it?”
“The Corps Commander is asking for you!”
Kyle gave a derisive chuckle.
Once again, the higher-ups were probably planning to dump the blame for their mistakes onto him.
“I was about to go see him anyway. Get back to work.”
Kyle waved a hand dismissively. When the inexperienced young officer merely stood there in a daze, Kyle sighed and spoke again.
“Stay here for about ten minutes before heading back down. Clear your head. If anyone gives you trouble, tell them I ordered you to.”
After saying that, he headed straight up to the Corps Commander’s office.
“You’re here?”
“Yes.”
“Hah… This incident is rather complicated.”
Kyle glanced at the documents lying in front of the Corps Commander before speaking.
“Before that, I have something to report.”
“A report?”
The Corps Commander tilted his head in confusion. Kyle took an envelope from inside his coat.
“I’m applying for discharge.”
“…What?”
As though wondering whether he had misheard, the Corps Commander dug a finger into his ear.
Kyle repeated himself with unmistakable certainty.
“I’m applying for discharge.”
“….”
Even after Kyle left the Corps Commander’s office, the commander remained frozen in place, unable to accept the reality of what had just happened.
Without realizing it, he muttered,
“We’re fucked.”