There is a term called "war crimes."
Its meaning slightly changes depending on the era and country in which it is used.
I remember that in my previous life in Japan, it was used to mean "an inhumane crime against peace that violates international law during wartime."
I have always felt a sense of discomfort with this term ever since my previous life.
Certainly, massacres and inhumane acts during war are unacceptable.
However, this way of saying it makes me feel like it gives the misleading impression that "war itself is not a crime."
In this world I was reborn into, the concept of wartime international law does not yet exist.
Just 10 years ago, both Austin and the Sabbath were riding horses and brandishing swords or spears as if it were normal.
In a war with that level of technology, it would have been impossible to massacre all of the enemy's citizens.
Therefore, the victors of the war were satisfied with just seizing the enemy's territories and treasures.
However, the widespread use of firearms has dramatically changed that assumption.
Humanity has now acquired the lethal power to easily massacre entire populations.
If no brakes are set on that lethal power, soldiers consumed by madness will mercilessly wipe out the enemy.
The people of enemy countries are to be violated and killed. That was the common sense of war until now.
Even in this world, the post-war flow was similar.
After the war, we would negotiate rules for warfare… something like "international law" to prevent such damage from happening again.
Any commander found guilty of heinous acts that violated international law was deemed a "war criminal" and was punished accordingly.
It took over ten years to complete this post-war process.
This shows just how great the scars left by war were.
"I am a villain. But I was the villain that Austin needed."
These are the words of Bern Valou, published in a certain newspaper article.
He reportedly spoke proudly with a smile as follows:
"It was extremely enjoyable to deceive and kill people. The immense sacrifices caused by my strategies gave me the greatest pleasure."
"…Are you saying you enjoyed killing people?"
"Exactly. No, I know that without you telling me. That's a very evil thing."
He confessed without any remorse that he enjoyed killing people to the newspaper reporter.
"But no matter how much of a villain I am, the people of Austin cannot blame me. Because the Austin military wanted an excellent commander, and I just happened to meet that need."
"…What does that have to do with you enjoying killing people?"
"Don't you get it? Let me give you a sports analogy. Who do you think makes a better player: someone who hates football or someone who loves it?"
Bern himself was aware of his abnormality: "If there had been no war, I would have hidden my abnormality and lived the rest of my life as an ordinary person who was just a little bit smart," he said on another occasion.
But, in reality, war occurred, and he entered a military academy and became a staff officer.
The times and war led Bern to act as an abnormal person.
"I had the talent to be a villain. The war, and the country, demanded that I be a villain."
"…"
"This is the reason why war must be avoided. War is something that glorifies villains like me."
He had common sense. He had the judgment to know right from wrong.
But, even knowing all of that, he chose to become a villain.
Because he realized that otherwise, he could not save the country of Austin.
There is no doubt that Bern Valou was a patriot who cared deeply for his country.
His actions were always for the good of his country, and at times he undertook daring operations even at the risk of his own life.
From this, later generations believe Bern is not someone who was initially a psychopath with a broken personality, but rather someone who broke and became a psychopath.
He is seen as a tragic hero who bore the evils of the era due to his war achievements and words.
In post-war Austin, he was treated like a dark hero.
However, knowing his character, I am skeptical of that image.
He did not reluctantly choose to become a villain for his homeland. Rather, he was a hedonistic killer who obtained the pretext of killing "for the homeland."
I can confidently assert that Bern Valou was a sly, conniving, and utterly hopeless person.
***
It was during this time in Paschen, while I was engaged in medical work with the Southern Army's medical department, that I met him.
The first time I met Bern Valou, he was wearing a thick coat, and his short red hair peeked out from under a knit hat. He had sharp, hawk-like eyes.
I felt disgusted, nauseous. That was my first impression of Bern.
I wondered if this is what it feels like to be a frog stared at by a snake; just looking into his eyes made me dizzy.
"Captain Bern Valou, I've heard of your name."
"It's an honor. I never expected to be recognized by Captain Aria."
He approached with a polite yet insincere attitude and extended his hand for a handshake.
Although Bern had a bright smile on his face, his eyes were not smiling at all; they were cold, almost reptilian.
"It's an honor to meet the person responsible for the Southern Army's consecutive victories."
"Oh, it's nothing like that."
Aria kept her guard up and saluted him in return.
I quickly followed suit and saluted as well.
It was only at this moment that I realized I was just standing there in front of someone of a much higher rank.
Such was the intensity of my aversion towards him.
"What do you think? It's still early evening. Can you spare a little time?"
"Sorry, but this is quite far from my base. I'm on a time limit here."
"Well, don't say that. If it's getting late, I can have my unit send a guide and provide security."
He actively urged Aria to join him.
At first, I wondered why he was so fixated on Aria.
"As someone who plans operations, I'd love to get to know you better."
Bern Valou, the hero of the Southern Army's victories. His name was also known within the Renvel Army.
I had heard that he was a tactical genius who had won battle after battle and was a promising figure who would lead Austin's future.
It was hard to imagine that such a man would rely on connections to rise through the ranks by using the influence of Major Renvel.
Moreover, it's not like he fell in love with Aria when he first met her.
"I want to know about Captain Aria, the last 'Ace' under Major Renvel's command, the 'Magic Princess.'"
"…I see. So, you came to test whether I am a compliant soldier or not."
"No, no, it's not like that."
He wasn't here to make connections after all.
He had come to learn about the personality of one of the few remaining ace officers in the Austin, Aria, and to assess whether she was the type to act unpredictably on the battlefield.
I realized that, despite having received her guidance, I knew almost nothing about Captain Aria as a soldier.
Due to her father's bias towards her own family, she gained experience leading a mage unit from a young age. Like Platoon Leader Garback, she continued to achieve great things over a period of more than 10 years, eventually becoming a superstar who was given the title of "Ace."
Up until this point, I had always believed in Aria's humility and thought that she had been able to rise to her position through her connections.
But when I later investigated her past achievements, I discovered an impressive list of accomplishments.
In just one hour of bombing, three enemy bases were destroyed, and one enemy company suffered hundreds of casualties in a counterattack against enemy soldiers who were charging.
These were scores several times greater than those of other magical units. No other magical unit had achieved such consistent success in the entire war.
Her skills as a mage company commander were unmatched.
During the defense of Marshdale, it was thanks to her efforts that Austin was able to hold out for nearly a week despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered.
I never realized this even though I was so close by. Aria, my guardian, was one of Austin's celebrated aces.
"I just want to talk with you. Don't you want to know who's planning the operations?"
"…Today really isn't possible. I'll make some time next time, and accept your invitation then. Is that okay?"
"Yes, of course. I'm really looking forward to it."
In the end, Aria sighed and accepted Bern's invitation.
Upon hearing the name Bern, Aria couldn't just ignore him.
"Oh, by the way. Is that little medic girl over there a friend of yours, Captain Aria?"
"…!"
After Bern had successfully made plans with Aria, he turned his gaze to me, who had been hiding quietly behind her.
"You two were chatting quite amicably before I approached."
"Ah, um, nice to meet you. I'm Chief Medic Touri."
I raised my voice slightly in surprise but quickly introduced myself.
When a superior officer speaks to you for the first time, introducing yourself is the proper thing to do.
"…This girl is one of my subordinates who came to see me off. Please don't scare her too much."
"Ah, I see."
To be honest, I didn't want to get to know him at all.
Aria must have sensed this because she gently intervened.
"I heard she's like a cute little sister to you who's under your guardianship. Isn't it cold to treat her as just a subordinate?"
"…"
He must have already gathered information about Aria and knows about me as well.
"Just as I had heard, you're a very cute young lady. If I ever get injured, I'd love for you to treat me."
"U-Umm, it's an honor."
As soon as he realized that he wouldn't be able to talk to Aria today, he switched his target to me.
With a gentle expression and a snake-like gaze, Bern smiled at me with a tin of cookies in his hand.
"How about it? Can I have a little of your time? I've got some delicious snacks for you."
"Well, um…"
"Just a little chat. It won't be a waste to make some connections with your superiors."
Bern was probably planning to extract information about Aria from me.
I don't intend to talk about Aria's personal info, but as he said, it's never a bad idea to build connections with your superiors.
Then, there's no problem if I accept—
"…Hey, you're scaring Touri. You shouldn't be so pushy with a young girl."
"Oh, my apologies."
At that moment, I really wasn't in the mood for any conversation.
I was overwhelmed by the fear of how Bern knew about me and what he might say next.
"I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to be scared of Captain Bern."
"I didn't think I was the type to scare people, though. Chief Medic Touri, why is your face so tense?"
"Ah, well, Captain Bern does have a very kind face."
"Right? So, why are you so scared of me?"
Bern asked me with a completely serious expression.
Certainly, most people wouldn't feel scared by Bern's polite attitude or facial expressions.
In fact, he made a conscious effort to smile so that he wouldn't make enemies within the military.
Though many officers found this behavior suspicious, it wasn't anything to be intimidated by.
"If there's something I can change, would you tell me? It kind of hurts to be this feared based on first impressions."
"I'm not scared at all…"
"That's fine, I'll forgive you for being scared. But in return, I don't care if you say rude things to me, just tell me why you're scared."
He didn't even realize that he was interrogating me. He genuinely just wanted to know why I was so scared.
But from my perspective, I was being questioned about my attitude by a superior.
"Yes, um, I will answer."
I was almost forced to answer the question to Bern.
At that moment, I secretly thought I could have handled it more calmly if I had received the counter-interrogation training Warrant Officer Faris pushed for.
"It's just that, somehow…"
"Go on."
"I felt a lot of pressure coming from Captain Bern. This is just my personal feeling."
"Heh, what kind of pressure?"
Finally, my voice trembling, I responded honestly:
"I felt like I sensed a frightening amount of 'evil' in you, and—"
"W-Wait, Touri. To say that to someone you just met…"
"Y-Yes, I'm sorry! I'll accept any punishment."
And so, I confessed.
"…Oh?"
I still remember the look on Bern's face at that time.
There was no anger or irritation on his face at that moment.
In fact, he was smirking, with the corner of his lips lifted, and his eyes gleaming with amusement.
"You have an interesting sense of perception, you know? Well, maybe it's the ability to sense danger, given your background?"
"I-I'm so sorry, Captain Bern."
"No need to apologize. I'm the one who made you say that."
He looked at me with the same expression as a child who had found a fun new toy.
He was genuinely enjoying himself.
"Captain Aria, you'd better take care of this girl."
"Y-Yeah…"
"And you, Touri…"
I regretted saying that unnecessary comment.
But my regret couldn't undo what had happened.
"I'll make sure to remember you."
Within Bern Valou, I had gone from being merely "Captain Aria's accessory" to being an object of interest.