“Tired as you are today.”
“Everyone should rest well.”
The repercussions of the coup that overturned the capital were still present.
Especially for those injured in the clash between the military police and the protesters, and the victims who had been severely tortured by the military police.
Despite the many medical personnel and Blue Mages volunteering to help with treatment, there was still a shortage of hands.
This was because seriously wounded soldiers from the eastern front were also constantly returning to the capital.
First-class Blue Mage Bella Meyer, known as the White Angel, did not seem to have any less work.
After tending to patients all day, performing surgeries, and releasing mana to heal wounds,
the day passed helplessly once again.
But Bella Meyer couldn’t sleep. Even though she was exhausted, every time she lay alone on her bed, the memories of the day would vividly resurface.
Cold floor.
Whips. Prison, handcuffed hands and feet.
People’s screams and cries of agony.
When she closed and opened her eyes, it was the National Military Police prison.
And when she closed and opened her eyes again, it was the headquarters of the Commando Unit that left her with terrifying childhood memories.
Every time she recalled these memories, Bella Meyer’s body would tremble. It wasn’t severe enough to cause convulsions, but she couldn’t find peace.
She too was a victim.
In fact, she wasn’t much different from the patients lying in the ward.
She still suffered from stress disorders, and the fear of intermittent memory loss continued to gnaw at her mind.
So what Bella Meyer could do in such a situation was.
To visit Enok Revendale.
“…Have they all gone?”
It was the ward where Enok had spent the whole day bustling around. A war hero and the mastermind behind all the plans that quelled the recent coup.
He might still be talking with someone.
“Yes, please come in.”
Soon, a clear voice came from inside the room.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like there was anything urgent.
She cautiously opened the door to the ward and entered. The blonde officer sitting by the window looked at Bella and smiled softly under the dim moonlight.
“Is it over now?”
“Yes, we’re still receiving casualties from the eastern front.”
“As expected of Captain Bella Meyer. You’ve worked hard.”
“When it’s just the two of us, call me Bella.”
“Yes, Bella.”
Hearing her name in his voice made Bella feel warmth in her heart.
That was Enok Revendale.
The person she wanted to see even when she saw him. The person she wished would always be by her side. The person with a charming voice that lingered in her ears.
In her dreams, in her subconscious, the negative emotions that held her back dissipated just by thinking of that man.
“And… I heard the news. Congratulations on your promotion to Colonel, Enok. It feels like only yesterday when we met as lieutenants, yet here you are already a general…”
It was unprecedented.
She knew well how difficult it was for someone of noble birth and the child of a current royal official to become a general.
Of course, considering he was called a national hero, it could be considered natural.
But the fact that this man had achieved all this in just three years was something even she found hard to believe.
Enok simply smiled.
As if it were a matter of course.
An unadorned reaction, one shown only to those Enok truly trusted.
That expression was so typical of Enok Revendale that Bella Meyer couldn’t help but laugh.
“How is your body?”
“I’m fine.”
“Come over here.”
Bella walked towards him as if in a trance. His rough, large hand touched her forehead.
It was just checking the flow of mana, but Bella Meyer’s heart started pounding.
“Luckily, the flow of mana is still stable.”
“That’s good…”
Bella Meyer’s illness wasn’t just intermittent amnesia.
Since meeting Enok Revendale, she hadn’t experienced a single episode of frenzy, but there were a few close calls.
Each time, Bella managed to overcome them by thinking of the man in front of her.
“Bella.”
Even after confirming the flow of mana, Enok didn’t move away from her. Instead, he looked directly into her eyes and spoke.
“Don’t suffer alone. I’m right here beside you.”
“…”
“I know Bella is strong, but also vulnerable. Just like now. In fact, the one who needs treatment is Bella, isn’t it?”
Like Enok Revendale.
Bella Meyer was like that too.
She could rest. Could anyone point a finger at her?
The scars from the whippings hadn’t healed yet, and even if they did, the marks would remain like branding.
Her mind was also cluttered. One reason she couldn’t sleep was due to this.
But she couldn’t rest.
Because she knew the pain and understood how devastating those horrific memories could be to their lives.
Bella Meyer threw herself into saving them, sacrificing herself more and more.
She was that kind of person.
She wasn’t without desires or self-assertion.
In fact, those who maintained a close relationship with Bella Meyer knew how stubborn she could be.
But this stubbornness was born out of a desire.
A wish that others wouldn’t end up in the same situation as her.
A wish to endure the pain and overcome it.
A wish to save someone else as she was saved.
This was the driving force behind Bella Meyer’s determination.
Yet, there were days when it felt overwhelming.
Plop.
A transparent tear fell from Bella Meyer’s eye.
“Uh… E…?”
It wasn’t intentional. She hadn’t thought about crying.
It was just… it spilled out.
As she tried to wipe away her tears with a flustered expression, Enok Revendale embraced her tightly.
Warmth. The firmness of his embrace that made all thoughts disappear. Bella Meyer simply sat there motionless, closing her eyes.
Tears trickled down her cheek and wet Enok’s shoulder. He silently stroked her back.
She was still someone who needed protection.
Though she might stand on her own someday, for now, she was an injured patient searching for a place to lean on.
A quiet, cozy silence filled the ward. Bella was the first to break the silence.
“Enok.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“War… can’t be avoided, right? Like you’ve said before.”
“Yes.”
Enok Revendale answered without hesitation. Bella Meyer didn’t ask out of ignorance. She just wanted to hear the confirmation again.
The massive war that could engulf the entire world.
The Great War.
World War.
The magma beneath was already boiling, ready to erupt. No matter what, it couldn’t be avoided.
“When… When will it happen?”
“At least it will start within two years.”
“So we don’t have much time left.”
Bella said with a trembling voice.
“Enok, promise me one thing.”
“What is it?”
“I won’t say things like ‘you must survive’ or ‘save Okhraine’.”
That was not something Bella, a mere helper in this great wave, could ask.
Her duty was to fulfill the mission entrusted to her as a comrade whom Enok Revendale trusted.
But as a woman, she could make demands.
“Tonight, hold me.”
With a hot breath, she whispered. She wanted to fall asleep in his arms, to share the joy with him.
To look into each other’s eyes, to kiss, to feel that shiver-inducing touch.
Bella loved Enok.
She wasn’t sure if she deserved his love, but she was certain that she loved him more than anyone else.
But she couldn’t anymore. She couldn’t hold him, couldn’t look into his eyes.
Now, the burden on Enok’s shoulders, as a man, was too heavy.
There would be less time for her, and making such demands later would only make her look selfish and reckless.
“Bel…”
Enok’s lips moved slightly in shock. His gaze wavered.
“It’s not about dating or being seen as a woman. It’s not about wanting to spend time like this anymore…”
“Not even looking at each other lightly, not even making silly jokes, not even seeking you out every night when I can’t sleep, not even crying in your arms.”
“Maybe even after everything is over… Can we still be like this?”
Either Bella or Enok could d*e. That was the nature of war.
As a member of the 8th Rapid Assault Mage Infantry Battalion, Bella Meyer had seen many comrades who faced life and d*ath.
She remembered how many times she covered the faces of fallen comrades with white cloth.
There was no guarantee that Bella or Enok wouldn’t be among those whose faces would be covered.
“So… before that, my last request. I know how selfish and irresponsible this feeling is. But… but…!!”
Bella Meyer’s eyes welled up with tears for a moment.
Enok Revendale pulled her arm inward.
Clang, the chair Bella was sitting on toppled backwards, and she found herself pressed against Enok’s chest.
Surprised, she raised her head.
His sparkling eyes were right in front of her.
Soft, moist lips pressed against hers, exhaling a breath that made her dizzy.
