"Do not touch the body until instructed. Increase patrols and conduct a search within a 500-meter radius around this point."
"Lieutenant Verdi."
Verdi shortly arrived on the scene as I was examining Warrant Officer Faris' body.
He had a stern expression on his face, which was unusual considering his gentle nature.
"I order Chief Medic Touri to perform an autopsy on this body. Report on the identity of the deceased, estimated time of death, and immediate cause of death."
"Understood."
I readily agreed since his tone left no room for objections. Though, I hadn't been thoroughly trained in determining causes of death.
Forensic examination falls under the field of forensic science. It's not something medics usually study.
"May I call for assistance?"
"Permission granted."
I called in Cale and we examined the body together.
I never imagined I'd end up doing something like investigating a murder scene.
"Lieutenant Verdi. Based on the appearance of the deceased, the dog tag, and the fact that Warrant Officer Faris is missing, we believe the identity of the corpse is undoubtedly that of Warrant Officer Faris."
"Go on."
"Judging by the body temperature and the transparency of the corneas, the estimated time of death is within the last hour. The immediate cause of death appears to be a gunshot wound; the bullet entered the lower right back of the head from behind."
There were no other visible injuries likely to be fatal. It's reasonable to assume he was shot from behind and died from it.
A gunshot had rung out just 30 minutes earlier, and the assumption that the cause of death was a gunshot aligned without contradiction.
However, the problem is that there were no signs of the enemy near the camp. The sound of the gunshot came from inside Austin's camp itself.
"Lieutenant Verdi, what do you suggest we do?"
"I want the members of Faris Platoon to be gathered immediately for questioning. Also, call all the members of Gundress Platoon, Allen Platoon, and Chiarde Platoon, who are supposed to be off duty tonight. They will be tasked with investigating Warrant Officer Faris's death."
"Understood."
In other words, Warrant Officer Faris likely didn't fall in combat against the enemy.
"There is a possibility that a vicious murderer is among our allies. Please remain vigilant and conduct the investigation thoroughly."
Given the circumstances, it is highly likely that he was killed by one of our own.
***
"We found a bullet near Warrant Officer Faris's body. It is likely a 6.2mm caliber bullet used in the mass-produced OST-2 or OST-3 firearms."
"Then it isn't Sabbatian-made?"
"Correct. It appears to be Austin-made."
The investigation of Warrant Officer Faris' death continued throughout the night.
Based on the condition of the body, it appears highly likely that the Warrant Officer was killed by his own allies.
"Cross-check the ammunition stock with the remaining rounds for all soldiers. We need to identify anyone who has unexplained rounds."
Verdi and the higher-ups took this case very seriously.
There was no way they could ignore the possibility of a soldier who would kill a comrade being hidden in their ranks.
"16 soldiers have used their ammunition today."
"…What are the details?"
"The majority of them have been 'discarded as defective' after inspection. Others have been reported as being consumed for training, accidental discharges, etc."
Warrant Officer Faris' case was treated as a murder.
Thus, the investigation took the whole day.
"The medical platoon does not possess firearms and is therefore not subject to investigation. Thank you for your hard work in the autopsy."
"Please let me know if there's anything I can help you with…"
"No, it's morning now. Please return to your duties. We'll contact you if we need further assistance."
Since we medical personnel were not issued firearms, it was determined that no one in my platoon could have done it.
We were ruled out as a suspect and returned to our duties.
***
"…I see, the Warrant Officer who often showed up."
"He was a pretty reliable guy."
After cooperating with the investigation all night, I returned to the tent, stifling a yawn.
It would be back to the usual duties… though I would only be waiting for frostbite patients in the tent since it seems we won't be marching today.
"Little Platoon Leader, why don't you go and get some sleep?"
"Alright, if there aren't many patients, I might take a break."
To be honest, I was less shocked by Warrant Officer Faris' death than I thought I would be.
It was sad, but it seems that I have developed quite a tolerance to it because of that incident with Lakya.
"Oh, that's right. Arunoma, I was in a rush yesterday and missed receiving your report. I'd like to read it as well."
"Ah… that might not be needed anymore."
"You're still saying that?"
"Well, I guess you can read it if you want."
When I asked Arunoma to submit his report, he made a rather awkward expression.
I took the report from him and skimmed through the content.
"…Warrant Officer Faris?"
"Yea, that's how it is."
I found out that it was Warrant Officer Faris who had caused Arunoma's injuries.
"You seemed to get along well with Warrant Officer Faris, but to me, he was like a demon."
"I see…"
"He apparently had a reputation for being violent and domineering. Lately, his training had become more vicious, constantly belittling his subordinates with cruel remarks that mentally broke them down. When I heard of his death, I actually wasn't surprised."
"Not surprised?"
"I always thought that Warrant Officer Faris would eventually be shot by one of his own subordinates."
Uncharacteristically, Arunoma spoke out without hiding his disgust.
Apparently, the rift between him and Warrant Officer Faris ran very deep.
"It's good that one of my problems is gone."
Far from being saddened by Warrant Officer Faris' death, Arunoma seems happy from it.
***
Despite the day-long investigation, the culprit was never found.
They managed to narrow down a few suspects, but they were unable to definitively identify the perpetrator.
"This concludes my report, Major."
"Hmph, and?"
Verdi presented the results of the investigation to Major Renvel.
Since it was an incident within his unit, the responsibility for the report fell on him.
"How do you intend to settle this, Verdi?"
"Do as you wish. I am prepared to accept any punishment."
"It's not your punishment I'm concerned about. Punishing you won't change anything."
Major Renvel sighed in front of Verdi's apology.
What he was concerned about was not how Verdi would take responsibility,
"I'm asking how you're going to handle the possibility that there's a murderer hiding within our ranks."
"…!"
Now that such an incident has come to light, soldiers will become suspicious and will have to be wary of even their own allies. If left unchecked, it will have an impact on the morale of the soldiers.
That's why Major Renvel called for a clear arrest of the culprit.
"Now, about that report. There's a suspicious soldier, isn't there?"
"A suspicious soldier?"
"He's Warrant Officer Faris' subordinate. This man has been discarding ammunition, citing them as defective."
"…Yes, the discarded rounds have not been found."
Among the soldiers, one stood out as particularly suspicious.
He was one of the soldiers who had discarded ammunition that day.
"I heard Warrant Officer Faris had been very strict with him during his training and in the previous desertion attempt."
"Yes, that has also been verified."
"That provides sufficient motive."
It was the red-haired rookie soldier, the same one I had tried to talk down during the desertion incident with Lakya.
"Are there any other soldiers who seem to have a clear grudge against Faris and who discarded their ammunition?"
"…No. But this soldier has an alibi. He was reportedly talking with another soldier during the time of the incident."
"The soldier who gave that testimony is listed as a close friend from the same school. It's safe to say that the testimony is not reliable."
Major Renvel was a soldier through and through.
Maintaining military discipline took priority over the truth of the matter.
"Arrest him as the culprit. Announce that the killer has been identified and captured. We are on the brink of a decisive battle that will determine our nation's fate; ensuring the soldiers' morale is paramount."
"…But the evidence is insufficient."
"Verdi. Which is more important: the life of that rookie or the morale of the soldiers?"
***
Thus, a soldier was identified as the culprit and tightly restrained.
The man in question is a red-haired rookie soldier, a friend of Lakya's. His name is Private Second Class Rove, and he just arrived from the capital city.
"Then, let's escort him to the capital as a criminal."
"You idiot, how are we going to do that? This is not the same as transporting supplies."
"…Well, we could ask the returning supply unit to help."
"If killing a superior allows one to be escorted to the capital by a supply unit, soldiers seeking desertion will start killing their superior officers. Is that what you want?"
Since Verdi was unable to confirm that the captured soldier was the culprit, he intended to leave the decision to the court.
However, prisoners transported by supply units could easily escape.
There weren't any proper cages for prisoner transport. The soldier would have to be bound and escorted on foot.
If the soldier seized an opportunity and ran, it would likely be easy to escape.
Such an option was not feasible, as it could encourage copycat crimes with deserters using it as a model.
This wasn't a practical solution.
"We cannot tolerate the killing of our allies. In accordance with military regulations, execute him by firing squad immediately."
Thus, with just a word from Major Renvel, the boy was identified as the culprit. The decision was made to shoot him in accordance with military discipline.
***
"It wasn't me! I didn't do it!"
That evening.
The soldier who killed Warrant Officer Faris was set to be executed.
"Stop it, listen to me!"
"Shut up, don't say another word."
"Mmmmm, mmm!!!"
The soldier had a gag placed in his mouth and was tightly bound to a stake in the ground.
Around him, new recruits surrounded him, pointing their rifles at him.
"Take careful aim, don't miss. Make it quick and painless, shoot him in the head."
"Y-Yes…"
This execution was turned into a shooting practice for the new recruits.
Since it was a rare opportunity for them to "kill another person," many of the new soldiers from Verdi's unit were gathered to participate in the execution.
I had been summoned to confirm the body.
"…Mm!!"
The red-haired rookie soldier looked straight at me.
His eyes pleading for help, appealing for something.
"Touri, if you're scared you can just look away."
"No, it's okay."
I was called here to confirm his death.
If I were to avert my gaze at the moment the red-haired soldier died, it would be a dereliction of duty.
Moreover, as the one who urged him to return to the military, I have the obligation to watch his final moments.
"…But, Lieutenant Verdi. Couldn't you at least remove his gag?"
"That's…"
However, I did ask Verdi for permission to allow the rookie soldier to leave his final words.
This was because he kept giving me a look that seemed to be pleading for something.
As he was a friend of Lakya's, I can imagine what he wanted to say to me.
He probably wanted to voice his resentment towards me, but I felt it was important to listen to him properly.
"He should be allowed to speak his last words."
"Well, yes, but…"
By the way, I had been told that the reason for his execution was because he had been confirmed as the murderer.
So, I had believed that he was the one who killed Warrant Officer Faris.
However, the truth was that he had only been arrested based on circumstantial evidence, and Verdi had gagged him to prevent him from saying anything that could complicate things.
"I have some history with him. Please, I beg of you."
"…"
I pleaded sincerely with Verdi.
Normally, Verdi would have rejected my request without hesitation.
Maybe he thought that rejecting it would arouse suspicion.
Or, perhaps Verdi himself was feeling guilty himself.
"Fine. You can remove the gag for just one minute."
"Understood."
Verdi reluctantly agreed, and he lowered his eyes.
He gave the red-haired rookie soldier, Rove, one minute to speak.
***
"Hah!! Ha, ha!"
"You are allowed to speak. Hurry up and leave your last words, murderer."
And this brief one minute of reprieve…
Ended up greatly changing my fate.
"Uh, well, um…"
"What is it?"
The soldier fell silent for a few seconds after the gag was removed, as if thinking about something.
I thought he might be hesitating about what kind of last words to leave, but what he said next went in an entirely unexpected direction.
"The first one is a message to my friend… Don't rush things, and don't lose sight of yourself."
"Hm? Who is this friend? Who should I pass this message to?"
"He will surely be here. No need to pass on the message."
He began with a message to his friend.
His demeanor was surprisingly calm, a stark contrast to the fuss he had made while being dragged to the execution ground.
"The second message is for the girl watching over there. The commander of the medical platoon."
"…Me?"
"You saved my life before. Thank you."
"Oh, well, you're welcome…"
Surprisingly, he thanked me.
To be honest, I never expected to hear him say something like that.
His close friend, Lakya, lost her life due to my own incompetence. I even thought he deserved to be able to vent his anger out on me.
"That's why I want to tell you this. Don't walk alone at night."
"H-Huh?"
"There are people out there who hate you and want to kill you. Be careful."
Having said that, the young soldier looked up at the sky.
"Finally, to my family waiting back home, I want to apologize for this unfortunate ending. But please tell them that Rove did not break his vow."
"…"
He murmured.
At that moment, my heart skipped a beat, and my pulse raced.
It was a sensation I had felt many times since joining this war, a premonition of imminent danger.
It felt as if someone inside me was shouting, "You're going to be killed unless you do something."
"Is that all for your last words?"
"Yeah."
Verdi breathed a sigh of relief since the young soldier didn't say anything unnecessary.
Once again, the red-haired soldier was gagged and left standing there.
Numerous guns were aimed at the murderer.
────Almost instinctively…
"Hkk!"
"Eh, T-Touri?!"
I threw myself on the ground.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out across the execution grounds.
Even though Verdi had not yet given the order to shoot.
"…Wh-What are you doing?!"
"Tch!"
At the same time, an intense gust of wind passed directly over me as I lay on the ground.
When I raised my head, I saw one of the young soldiers surrounding Private Rove pointing his gun at me with bloodshot eyes.
"You! If only you had brought Lakya and us back!!"
"Wh-What are the other soldiers doing?! Restrain him!"
The young soldier who had aimed at me quickly reloaded and prepared to fire again.
As the surrounding rookies stood there with wide eyes, he fired a bullet towards me as I lay on the ground.
As the new recruits around us stood frozen with wide eyes, he fired a bullet towards me as I lay on the ground.
"Die!"
"[Shield]!!"
I couldn't let myself be killed so easily. My life had been saved and protected by many people.
As I rolled on the ground, I deployed the [Shield] spell that Platoon Leader Garback had taught me.
"Damn it, so tenacious—"
Thanks to that, the bullet didn't hit me and only kicked up a cloud of dust.
…And that was the final moment of reprieve granted to him.
"I'm sorry Lieutenant Verdi. Given the circumstances, I had to shoot him."
"Private First Class Rodri…"
"I'll bring you a written report later."
A third gunshot rang out at the execution grounds.
Rodri, who had attended the "execution of the murderer," shot the young soldier without waiting for Verdi's permission.
"You idiot. I tried so hard to stop you…"
As for the true story…
It turns out that the real culprit who murdered Warrant Officer Faris was the young soldier who had pointed the gun at me earlier.
"Could you please explain the details?"
"Yes."
The soldier was also Lakya's close friend.
He was another young soldier who, persuaded by me, had returned to the military.
"He liked Lakya. After she died, his behavior started to change."
He had suddenly been thrown into life-threatening danger, lost his childhood friend and love interest, and was mentally broken.
At that, Warrant Officer Faris told him about Lakya's death, saying that she had "died like an idiot after ignoring orders."
Hearing those words, he became furious and confronted Warrant Officer Faris.
But Warrant Officer Faris just sneered, saying, "She brought it upon herself."
Driven by hatred after losing his loved one and having her death ridiculed, the young soldier's murderous intent grew.
And his resentment extended to…
'It's because the Chief Medic stopped us from escaping.'
'That girl abandoned Lakya and ran away.'
It wasn't just directed at Warrant Officer Faris, it was directed at me as well.
Thus, he became obsessed with killing both Warrant Officer Faris and me at all costs.
During that time, Private Second Class Rove tried to persuade the boy many times, but he wouldn't listen. Finally, he took action last night.
"He may have been a bit clumsy, but he was a kind and compassionate guy. I believed that he would someday come to his senses. That's why I was willing to take the blame for his crime."
"…"
Private Second Class Rove knew his ammunition had been stolen.
However, he was unable to sell out his friend and lied, claiming that he had discarded the defective ammunition.
Even as he was about to be executed, Rove thought of his friend and remained silent about the true culprit.
While continuing to persuade his best friend through his will, he also indirectly warned me of the danger I was in.
"The reason that clumsy guy targeted Chief Medic Touri in front of all these people was to show that I wasn't the culprit."
"…"
"He wanted to make sure I wouldn't be executed. He had been twisted by the war, but he was really a kind person…"
Crouching in front of the body of the murderer shot by Rodri, Private Second Class Rove quietly shed tears.
The body, shot through the neck, continued to expel dark red foam into the snowy field.
"Are there any lies in that report?"
"I swear to the heavens, I'm not lying."
"…Your situation will be reviewed again. Until then, you are to be detained."
"Understood, Lieutenant Verdi."
That was the truth behind Warrant Officer Faris' death.
The stress from his superiors and the anguish of losing someone close to him had driven that soldier to madness, resulting in his violent actions.
Soldiers, who had been pushed to their limits, marching through the biting cold of winter, had been under much more pressure than we had realized.
"Hey, Shorty. You've really cheated death."
"…Thank you, Rodri. Once again, you saved me."
"If you feel grateful, then help me write that report, will ya?"
The gun aimed at me by him was the consequence of my own actions.
Lakya wouldn't have died if I had just done things properly, and he wouldn't have committed such an impassioned crime.
"At least, may he rest in peace after death."
"Huh? You gonna pray for someone like him?"
His death started with me.
That's why, as a small token of my condolences, I placed my hands together over the young soldier's body and prayed for his soul to rest in peace.
Although he looked puzzled, Rodri joined me and placed his hands together for the deceased as well.
"…"
I sincerely hope that in your next life, you're reborn into a world without war.
If you truly are a kind person, you should be able to lead a happy life in the next world.