Chapter 275 Volume IV - Chapter 122: For the End of War
A lot had actually happened in the two days after the battle. And yet... I never found myself completely immersed in it, it felt as if it had all happened in a matter of seconds.
Every moment, every second, the image of Gurdas was in my mind. The glow in his eyes that faded every second, the huge burn on his chest, the way he just smiled in his last moments without saying anything...
Maybe he just smiled at me at that moment, but he also said a lot of things to me with that smile.
He thanked me, he was worried about me, he was sad… but... he was also a little relieved that he was finally dying.
In the army, he was always smiling, maybe one of the most cheerful soldiers. At the same time, I was among those who knew that he didn't want to be here.
He wanted to see his son, he was being forced to fight as a soldier and it was exhausting for him... after all the years he had lived. So maybe that's why he looked at me like he was begging, he wanted to at least be comforted by letting him die.
Still, all that didn't matter, I didn't care.
Gurdas was dead because of me. He was no longer in this world because of me. Because of me, he would never see his son again.
It was because of me.
Because of a decision I made when I was trying to leave this fucking continent sooner.
"Aiden..."
Lost in my thoughts, I heard a low voice coming from behind me, a familiar voice.
"You need to come to your senses."
It was Rulhan, and standing behind him was Durvan. Both of them had a depressed look on their faces. They were sad, just like me.
"They'll be sendin' us to another battlefield tomorrow... If ye stay like this, we're in for another loss."
Rulhan took a step toward me in the dimly lit room, approached the bed I was lying on, and came close to me.
Because I was lying on the bed, he was higher than me, even though he was a dwarf.
"The three of us... we've known each other for 'bout seven years. We've been workin' and fightin' in the army for much longer. Gurdas... he's been on the battlefield longer than any of us. Now... it was his time to rest."
I fixed my eyes on his black ones, squinting involuntarily.
"Was he supposed to rest by dying?"
Rulhan paused, sighing deeply, but I didn't let him continue.
"He could have left the battlefield. Maybe he would have fought for a few more years, but... he could have left. He could live a happy life with his son, and maybe see his grandchildren. He was always smiling, never letting his face fall. He was... the last person who deserved to die here, but he died because of me."
Rulhan frowned, but I didn't let him again.
"I'm the one who drew the rune to end this battle early, I'm the one who proposed the strategy that we lost so much in order to use it successfully. No matter what happened to him... I was the reason why we were under such intense enemy fire that day. That... there is no one who doesn't know that now."
I sat up from my bunk, narrowed my eyes even more, and my face involuntarily soured.
"Still... I know what you mean, don't worry. I really do... I know what Gurdas wants and what he doesn't want, so... I'm not going to stay like this."
I clenched my fist, looked him in the eyes again.
"I will keep fighting, I will finish this war as I promised. So... you don't have to worry."
The hard expression on Rulhan's face softened for the first time in a long time. Rather than worry or sadness, it was an expression I had not expected to see.
He was regretful, but at the same time... it was as if he pitied me.
We didn't speak another word that day. When night came, we went to sleep, not a word passed between us.
Even on the way to the next battlefield, we were silent.
*******
I killed... I killed... I killed...
I was wounded, I healed. I was wounded even more, yet I still healed.
After Gurdas' death... I became even more aggressive in battles, I took many more risks.
Instead of keeping my wiera side as far away from my own self as possible, sometimes I let myself be carried away by his whispers. It was more convenient for me to walk through the enemy without thinking about anything, to kill as many as I could.
I didn't stop there, I also contacted the people in charge on the battlefield I reached after Mount Doruan, and made them proposals similar to the one I made to the old general, suggesting strategies for which I took full responsibility.
After all, this time I knew what was happening on the battlefield I was on. In the game, among the battles that took place on the Holar continent, the one I fought this time was one of the battles that was described and whose outcome was known.
I knew what the enemy would do, what they would use, what kind of strategy they would use to win.
Thanks to these things, it didn't take us long to leave the battlefield victorious. We still suffered losses, but the North Holar were so relieved to have closed another battlefield, at least for a while, by predicting all the enemy's moves, that they began to put me in the forefront. Instead of being a direct soldier, I was authorized to help the commanders on the battlefield as a strategist.
One day led to another. I went from one battlefield to another, constantly fighting and advising.
Even the passage of time became unimportant. All I cared about was winning battlefields.
And I didn't even stop there.
One day, for the first time in a long time, I found myself next to General Darbal, who had given me the opportunity to fight at the very beginning. Dorhud was next to him, the two of them were sitting together at a table facing each other, and I was next to this table.
I was here for a reason, I had practically begged Dorhud to arrange this meeting.
Because I was getting sick of it. I thought that after all the virgonium and resources they would be able to finish the sword, but... they still hadn't done it. The end of the war was still not near.
That's why I decided to take matters into my own hands.
"So... you're saying you want to take part in Project Durandal... is that it?"
I acknowledged General Darbal's question with a nod. The general sighed deeply, and it was Dorhud who interjected.
"Everyone is aware o' yer feats on the battlefield, Aiden... but I ain't thinkin' we can do this."
"I will complete the project in a week."
The two in front of me were silent, staring at each other for a moment. I narrowed my eyes and continued calmly.
"I'm not saying I can, I will."
"How can you be so sure of yourself...? That project is the biggest and most important project in the North, Aiden. Do you think they would let a 'human' like you in there so easily?"
"I realize my race causes me problems, but that's not an option, as far as I'm concerned."
I looked at the holograms on the table that had remained silent until now. There were about six people in these holograms. Each of them was one of the highest officials in the country, including President Houdhin.
I clearly remembered their faces. They were present at the meeting that took place after my escape from Caleuche. As far as I remember, only two of them were negative about what I said that day.
So, I could convince them.
"I entered the Cevilian Development Academy not because of my talents, but because of my theoretical intelligence. I'm pretty sure you've done your research on me. I am also the author and presenter of the theory of the Language of Mana. I think you have heard that recently there has been a popularization of a theory that solves the problem of impurities in potions no matter what, the author is Ulka DeLaor. I co-created this theory with him. I am quite sure that I am not theoretically deficient."
I poured mana lightly into the Absolute Mind, adding calm to my calm, coldness to my coldness.
"Do you really want this war to drag on? Do you really want to continue taking casualties? Trust me and I will complete this project in a week, I have a reason for my confidence. Once we've destroyed Caleuche, everything will be a piece of cake. The main troops of the country will be able to disperse to the battlefields instead of concentrating all the time on its side, and victory will be inevitable."
President Houdhin looked me in the eye, his image in the hologram.
Our eyes met, and for a few seconds, not a sound echoed in the room. Finally... a deep sigh came.
"Any complaints?"
Only two hands went up among the six. Both of them had a stern expression on their faces, clearly not trusting me. But... the other four were unsure of their decision.
I kept talking, I talked about some of the things that could be used in the project, and a little bit about what I was planning to do.
When I finished... there was only one hand left rejecting my participation in the project.
I bowed respectfully when the decision was made, giving my military salute in the most perfect way possible.
"Thank you."
It didn't take long for the holograms to close, and General Darbal and Dorhud just stared at me.
"And thank you for arranging this meeting. Now... excuse me."
I turned around and left the room without saying a word.
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