War is profitable.

Three days.

It wasn’t a particularly long time for education, but I thought I had done my best.

I taught them about the human body, my specialty, and reduced their aversion to weapon techniques that they had been filtering out, ultimately making them accept those teachings.

Whether they will directly use what they’ve learned or just apply it to some extent is now up to the Disciplinary Committee members themselves.

“Ahhh~”

After finishing all the schedules like that, I briefly left the camp and sat alone on a bench in the plaza, leisurely passing time.

The departure is scheduled for this evening.

There’s a bit of free time until the carriage is ready, so I told the Disciplinary Committee members to freely explore the city and enjoy their leisure during that time.

Since we’ve come all this way, it would be a shame to go back to school without doing anything.

“…It’s disgustingly peaceful.”

Of course, the problem for me is that there’s nothing particularly enjoyable to do.

“And disgustingly noisy.”

Well, I originally took a job at the academy to prepare for retirement, so what would I have to do when given time?

If I have time, I just sit on a bench and leisurely enjoy the scenery, that’s all.

But if you ask if that’s bad, I don’t entirely think so.

Buildings from all kinds of cultures gathered in one place, with diverse people happily bustling through the streets.

The fact that there’s not a trace of worry on the faces of passersby is proof of how peaceful this place is.

“Teacher.”

As I was smiling at such leisurely thoughts, someone who had crossed through the crowd approached and took a seat in front of me.

A young man with a stiff impression wearing a white uniform.

He was my student and a reliable pillar of Maris.

“May I sit beside you for a moment?”

“…Why are you here instead of being with the other kids?”

“I was just looking for a suitable place and saw you, so I came… If it’s rude, I’ll withdraw now.”

“No, what’s there to be rude about?”

When I patted the empty space on the bench silently, Waden sat down next to me with a faint smile.

After that, he just quietly looked around.

His attitude was proper, but the expression visible under his hat was more relaxed than usual.

As if he too was savoring the leisure that had come after a long time.

“You’re strange too. You finally have some free time, you could go snack on something with the other kids, but you come to the teacher’s side… Don’t you have any hobbies or anything?”

“This is my hobby.”

“What?”

“Just sitting and watching the streets.”

Waden said this while resting his elbows on his knees.

“The moment I feel that nothing happens even if I don’t do anything… I like feeling that on my skin.”

Even his back, which was always kept straight, was now hunched as he looked around the city.

All the discipline that was usually felt had disappeared at this moment.

As if only now, all the tension he had felt from being weighed down by responsibility had vanished.

“…That’s right, this boredom is proof that there are no incidents.”

While sympathizing with him, I also felt a considerable sense of disconnect.

Usually, children of this age dream of escaping from their daily lives, tired of studies or family problems.

In such a situation, to be happy with this boring daily life, I wondered what kind of unfortunate circumstances made this child grow up so twisted.

“Since it’s the first time we’re sitting face to face with leisure like this, how about we have a chat?”

Well, if that’s the case, I might as well ask.

“A chat, you say…?”

“Once today is over, we probably won’t have many chances to talk like this in the future. I thought it wouldn’t be bad to ask each other about things we’re curious about. If you want, I can even tell you the color of my underwear.”

“…Teacher Seine.”

“Ah, you’re not saying you’re not curious because you’ve already seen it, are you? That’s too much~ I’m a person who changes every day, you know.”

“This is becoming indecent. Please stop.”

Waden shouted firmly while pulling down his hat.

Yet, the way he looked around seemed as if he was concerned about the gazes of people around.

Come on, who would pay attention to one woman sitting on a bench among such a large crowd?

What a cute child.

“…It would be a lie to say I’m not personally curious.”

How much time had passed?

The Disciplinary Committee head soon regained his composure and spoke.

“After all, you were part of the unit I admired.”

“…Hehe, you’re saying burdensome things with such a serious face.”

Admiration, hearing such words face to face can only make one feel embarrassed, right?

I’d rather lift my skirt here.

“Is it burdensome?”

“No, it wouldn’t be adult-like to avoid it when a child who has followed me well so far asks for it.”

I chuckled, crossed my legs, and briefly looked around the city.

“Alright, so you want to hear about my time as a soldier?”

What followed was a story about my past.

It was a general and summarized explanation of what I had gone through during the war era.

---

It’s not like the story that began was entirely enjoyable.

I thought it might be more interesting to listen to the principal’s moral lecture instead.

“…It’s ironic. The survival rate of a unit that went to the battlefield to save people was found to be only 30% when the war ended.”

Yes, at least moral lectures don’t have such gloomy stories.

Even such a story, the Disciplinary Committee head would listen to calmly, but his expression greatly stiffened after hearing my story.

“30%… You mean only three out of ten returned alive?”

“Our unit was in a relatively better situation. At least our staff didn’t directly order our allies to die.”

In reality, telling someone to step into the front lines on the battlefield was essentially forcing them into a suicide attack.

It was so fierce that there was no guarantee that the land occupied yesterday would still be yours tomorrow, and in such power struggles, people’s lives were repeatedly consumed quickly like consumables.

To go to such a scene to rescue people without any armament…

Isn’t it a strategy that relies more on the mercy of enemies than on individual strength?

“Even with the agreement, it was to that extent?”

“To hell with agreements. What meaning do promises made by people who haven’t even set foot on the scene have?”

Certainly, the leaders of each country did sign agreements specifying humanitarian clauses, but even that was ultimately just a ploy to establish an external position.

In a place where no one except the parties involved knows what’s happening, how could promises made by those just sitting at desks and discussing publicly be properly fulfilled?

Even if it’s exposed, rather than making it public, it’s customary to distort and report it. Everyone is desperate and in dire straits, but the actions committed from such feelings endanger their own positions.

But had they believed such reports as truth?

“So, how do you feel after hearing the story?”

His face had turned pale at some point.

He looked as if he regretted asking me for such a story, but in the end, he seemed to accept something and lowered his gaze.

“…Didn’t you ever want to quit?”

“Many times. I was afraid of dying, but more than that, I hated being resented.”

Yes, if no one else, I knew that even the soldiers of enemy countries were people too.

But to them, I was someone who rescued those who killed their comrades like dogs.

Enduring their hatred silently was impossible with an ordinary mindset.

“…I’m sorry. I asked something unnecessary.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m used to talking about these things.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Rather, it’s more painful to see someone being swayed by guilt after hearing my story.

“But it’s a bit much for only me to talk, so how about we hear some of our Disciplinary Committee head’s story…”

So let’s stop my story here. As I naturally changed the subject, the Disciplinary Committee head asked me back in a weak voice.

“What kind of story do you want to hear?”

“Just… You can say anything you want to say.”

In reality, I wanted to ask directly, but no matter how mature he is, he’s still an 18-year-old boy.

There’s only 1 year left until he comes of age, but it’s still too early to consider him an adult.

I’m curious about why such a child was swayed by a sense of responsibility to the point of kneeling before me, but more than that, I was worried about reopening wounds.

So if he doesn’t want to talk, he doesn’t have to.

Even if we pass on it now, I’ll just wait for the next opportunity.

“War is profitable…”

As I was half-resignedly waiting for the next words, Waden’s mouth slowly opened.

As if reenacting words someone had said in the past at this moment.

“It was something my father once said to a business partner.”

The story that began like this was, ironically, something I had guessed to some extent even before hearing it.

His father was the head of the Wesson & Colt trading company.

He appeared as a main NPC in the game, a mercenary human who sold weapons indiscriminately to both the Imperial Army and the Allied Forces.

How could his son not have been influenced by such a person?

“When I was young, I didn’t understand the meaning of those words, but now I fully understand how the environment I grew up in was cultivated. That every time someone died, the food on our table became more luxurious, and every time someone lost their hometown, more valuable furniture was added to our house…”

Waden’s hand, which was telling such a story, soon moved to his eyes.

“It was before I entered Maris. At the place where I had set foot for education at that time, a child I used to play with suddenly punched me and spewed verbal abuse. It wasn’t long after that I heard that the unit his father belonged to had been annihilated by a counterattack using weapons smuggled by the Imperial Army.”

“……”

“…It’s funny. The person who provided the opportunity to ruin many families was infinitely kind and warm when it came to his own family.”

A trembling voice.

Hearing those words, I couldn’t quite grasp what to say.

Just the thought that even that slippery bastard I saw in the game was a human being briefly crossed my mind.

“As rumors spread, we had to move our residence several times. I resented my father for such a life where I couldn’t set foot anywhere, but my mother told me this: Father had also lived a very difficult life before, and only now had he found a way to survive. That even if others don’t, we at least shouldn’t resent father.”

Yes, isn’t it true that those who don’t have are unwelcome wherever they go?

To survive in such an era, even if you’re in the position of a victim, you must be prepared to survive.

Living as a survivor like that, a time comes when your humanity is tested, and you have to weigh morality against your own life…

Naturally, those who survived are those who chose life over morality.

Becoming a survivor in a miserable era means becoming a perpetrator towards another victim.

“That person who was so obsessed with money, as soon as the war ended, established a foundation with the money he had earned so far and started doing charity work.”

“…Hehe, so he did have some conscience after all.”

“Who knows, it might just be to lay the groundwork for future business. Even if the war has ended, we still need to find a way to survive.”

Eventually, a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

But his eyes staring at the street even looked pained.

It was an appearance that wasn’t hard to understand at all.

A life lived indirectly on the lives of many people.

For this straightforward boy who awakened a sense of justice for some reason, even his current life must be faced with a sense of guilt.

“Of course, as it was an era when everyone needed weapons, someone would have filled that position. It just happened to be my father who was seeking a way to survive.”

He might understand with his head, but with his heart…

Being still a boy, emotions would inevitably take precedence over reason, and therefore, at this moment, hatred towards his own father would resonate more strongly than abstract concepts like greater good.

“But sometimes I think. If no one had sold weapons to those who wanted war… Even if many people demanded such things, if they hadn’t devised to make more powerful weapons, couldn’t we have reduced the number of victims a bit more?”

His hand on his knee clenches tightly.

“If having power makes the fight more intense and cruel, then weapons that allow people to exert power beyond what humans can do inherently prepare one for cruel acts. My father was someone who made money by exploiting the psychology of such people.”

“…Waden.”

“Having grown up under such a person, I’ve thought about it. Weapons… and more powerful weapons, have the potential to corrupt people just by existing.”

Eventually, Waden turned his unstable gaze towards me.

The fact that his eyes were trembling uncharacteristically was probably because even he wasn’t certain about what he was saying now.

“…Do you think my thoughts are wrong?”

Perhaps even what he had believed to be right until now might be wrong.

The education I had conducted must have resonated deeply in his heart, enough to crack the mindset he had been maintaining.

“I…”

At that moment when I was about to express my thoughts on this.

-Boom!!

An explosion echoed.

At that moment, the thoughts in my head returned to blank, and all the nerves in my body tensed greatly.

The sensation I had felt countless times 2 years ago was revived.

It meant this was no ordinary matter.