After barely escaping her hometown, Lenalee joined the trenches as a volunteer soldier.
However, she was only 13 years old at the time and did not directly participate in the fighting.
Instead, she was assigned to menial tasks like transporting supplies and delivering messages in the rear of the trenches.
Lenalee used her small stature to deliver ammunition and food to the front lines, despite the flying bullets.
Her courage in handling such dangerous tasks led her to be officially hired by the army as a communications officer.
When she later joined the main force, Verdi learned of Lenalee's existence and added her to his ranks.
That is how Lenalee arrived at her current position.
She hasn't returned to her hometown of Dokupori since the invasion.
Even after Dokupori was liberated by the Austin Army, she chose not to return to her hometown.
She knew that the people she cared about would no longer be there when she returned home.
"I don't care if I die. I can't stand the fact that the Flamer people are still living comfortably."
Lenalee chose to stay on the battlefield and seek revenge against the Flamers rather than return to her hometown.
She happily did menial tasks if it meant causing harm to the Flamel.
Despite her harsh words, she was diligent in her work and was considered a strange woman by those around her.
She is determined to eventually become an infantry soldier who can kill the enemy directly, rather than just a communications officer.
"We lived self-sufficiently on our own land without causing trouble for the Flamers. It was the Flamel who threatened that and suddenly turned to evil deeds."
"…"
"Is it wrong to want to kill them? Are you saying I should endure and accept it even though my loved ones were all killed?"
Lenalee snapped at me with icy eyes.
…The flames of hatred raged fiercely in the depths of her eyes.
"Warrant Officer Touri says to value life, but it was those people who first took that precious life. It was the Flamers who killed my innocent family."
"…"
"There were still so many enjoyable things left to do. My brother was supposed to participate in a festival for his 10th birthday and perform a dance. We were also planning a family hike after finishing the fieldwork. But all of that was taken away by the Flamers!"
Lenalee's tone was so harsh that it could only be described as the embodiment of rage.
Her hair was standing on end, veins were protruding, and she shouted with a demonic expression.
"I hate them. They took everything from me and now they're laughing and smiling!"
"…"
"Even if I rip out their fingernails, gouge out their eyes, and roast their whole bodies, it won't be enough. I won't be satisfied until I roast their families back home as well!"
Murderous intent. Malice. Hatred.
The words that spilled from her mouth were filled with bitterness and resentment, like negative emotions that had simmered and burned.
But, that's…
"Lenalee."
"What is it, Warrant Officer Touri?"
…A common story.
To be honest, that's how I felt when I heard Lenalee's words.
Tragedies of that magnitude happen all over Austin.
"That must have been hard for you."
"…What do you know?"
In fact, it's rare to find someone who hasn't experienced a tragedy like hers.
The orphanage in my hometown of Noel was burned down, and almost all my comrades were killed in battle.
"By the way, I'd like to ask Lenalee a question."
"What is it?"
But everyone has accepted such tragedy and is moving forward.
Even with intense resentment, they continue fighting without becoming self-destructive like Lenalee.
So why has she not yet overcome the death of her family?
"…When did you last cry?"
"Huh?"
─────It's surely because…
She has not yet said her farewells to her parents and family.
"What does crying have to do with anything?"
"It's a ritual to say farewell to those who have passed away."
Lenalee witnessed her family being brutally murdered right in front of her eyes.
However, she was not allowed the time to grieve slowly because she had to escape from the Flamer soldiers.
"That is surely something very important. For both the deceased and the survivors."
She joined as a volunteer soldier after being protected by the Austin army.
I hear that things were so busy in the early days of the Flamer Front that there was no time to rest.
In such a situation, did she have time to mourn her family?
No, she probably did not.
"Once again, please take the time to remember your family, Lenalee."
"Warrant Officer Touri?"
"What was your father like?"
I grabbed Lenalee's shoulders and spoke as gently as I could.
I peered into her eyes and asked.
"…My father was a bit of a timid man. He was always under my mother's thumb. He loved to drink wine, but he would often drink it secretly, hiding it from my mother, and she would often scold him."
"…"
"But he was a kind man. Whenever Brother Rod or I did something bad and our mother got angry with us, it was always my father who comforted us. He would secretly share some bread with us, telling us not to tell our mother."
"He sounds like a good father."
"Yes. He really was a good father…"
A single tear fell from Lenalee's eye as she spoke about her father.
I could hear the sound of teeth chattering and her voice began to tremble slightly.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Warrant Officer Touri."
"It's okay, please continue. What kind of person was your mother?"
"My mother…"
In order to overcome the tragedy of losing our loved ones, we need to take time to think about those who have passed.
It's not too late even now. I gently encouraged her to recall her family.
"My mother was hot-tempered and strict. If you mischievously played a prank on her, she would get incredibly angry."
"I see."
"But she was reliable. When I fell into the irrigation ditch, she was the first to jump in to help me, not caring about getting her clothes dirty. She was the pillar of our family…"
"Yeah."
Lenalee should have done this much earlier.
She should have been allowed to mourn for her family before training as an infantryman.
She must have been turning a blind eye to it because it was too painful to remember.
The death of her family, who should have loved her more than anyone.
"My grandmother was a bit of a scatterbrain and often slept in my brother's small bed by mistake. But she was a good listener, always nodding and listening to whatever I talked about, and in the end, she would praise me a lot."
"I see."
"My brother was very mischievous, spreading water everywhere and getting all muddy. He would always blame me for it, so we were always scolded together. Yet he was a spoiled brat, always sticking close to me when he slept."
"How cute."
Although she was reluctant at first, she continued to talk about her family.
It was like she was letting out everything she had been holding inside her heart for so long.
"Brother Rod was a selfish person. Mom and Dad tried desperately to stop him, but he went off on his own and joined the military."
"…"
"It's so stupid to fight to stop the Sabbath from reaching Dokupori. In the end, it wasn't the Sabbath that attacked us, it was Flamel."
Before I knew it, she had collapsed to the ground, her lips trembling.
She clutched the dirt with both hands, letting tears and snot drip from her face onto the ground.
"I never wanted Brother Rod to go to war. I wish we could have lived together, working on the farm."
"…I see."
"I can't forget the lonely faces of my father and mother after Rod left. Even I… even I…"
Now Lenalee isn't even trying to hide the fact that she's crying.
Soon, the sobs of the young girl echoed throughout the midnight meadow.
"My whole family is gone now, and all I had was Brother Rod. Why did he volunteer to be a decoy and die?! Are you really that uninterested in us, Brother Rod?!"
"…No, that's not—"
"Come back, please come back. Anyone will do. Father, Mother, Grandmother, and even Brother Rod. Anyone, just come back. I want to see you—"
Before I knew it, I was holding Lenalee close.
The sound of her sniffling echoed in my chest, and her grip on my shoulders was painful.
"I, ah, I just… didn't want anything special. I just wanted to live with my family, with everyone, as farmers."
"Lenalee…"
"I wasn't aiming high. I just wanted to live with my family, that's all!!"
My shallow attempts at persuasion were meaningless from the start.
To begin with, she had not yet come to terms with the death of her family.
She needed to come to terms with the fact that her family had been killed.
"You were raised by good people, weren't you, Lenalee?"
"Uh, uuh, give them back to me. Give my family back."
Lenalee's sobs wouldn't stop.
The memories of her family that she had been avoiding were flashing back, and she couldn't control her emotions.
But that's okay.
…Remembering and crying like this is surely the best way to pay tribute to those who have passed away.
"It's alright. Cry as much as you need and grieve. Mourn your loved ones who have passed away."
"Ah, ugh…."
"You shouldn't bottle things up. You don't have to act all grown-up, despite being a child."
Holding the sobbing Lenalee close.
I continued to comfort her until dawn.
"Lenalee, please try to remember. What did your father, mother, and grandmother say during the attack?"
"…Huh?"
It isn't my words that will reach her.
It will be the words of her important family.
"Did your family tell you, 'Fight the Flamer army and die'?"
"…That's—"
"Did your parents really wish for you to die?"
────Run away.
────Run away.
That was the message her family had left for Lenalee.
"What did your family say to you when they were being killed by Flamer soldiers?"
"But, that…"
"Would your precious father, mother, and grandmother really be happy if Lenalee threw her life away charging at the Flamer Army?"
I don't think so.
Rather, I believe doing so would trample on the wishes of those who had already passed.
"I don't know anything about Lenalee's parents. I've never met them. So, you'll have to think about it yourself."
"…"
"If your parents were alive today, what would they say to you now?"
So, the family who should still live on in her heart.
I decided to have them persuade her.
"Uah, ahhh."
I don't know what kind of words her parents would have said to her.
But they certainly would not have approved of Lenalee's current state.
"Uaaaahhhh…"
After hearing those words, she clung to me.
For a while, Lenalee continued to cry loudly, not caring about what other people thought.
***
"So, what happened?"
"Nothing changed. Nothing at all."
The little girl cried through the night.
However, even after saying goodbye to her family, Lenalee has not given up on her dream of becoming an infantryman.
She still couldn't forgive the Flamer soldiers who took her family.
"So Little Boss's efforts were in vain?"
"Maybe so."
If she decided that despite hearing her family's words, there was nothing more for me to say.
Her hatred for the Flamel would not be quelled by just one night of crying.
"However, I think her expression has improved a little."
"Is that so?"
"I see.
"…Nothing changed, but I'd like to think it had some meaning."
However, Lenalee returned to the lodgings with a refreshed look on her face, as if a burden had been lifted.
She left saying, "Please continue training with me."
"I think it was meaningful. You've accomplished a lot more than you think."
"Is that really the case?"
"Yes. You did a great job, Little Boss."
Cale patted my head in a congratulatory manner as he said this.
If it had meaning, then staying up all night to listen was worth it.
With that in mind, I would be able to work hard today as well.
***
Later that afternoon…
"…Warrant Officer Touri."
"Oh, Lenalee. What's the matter?"
"I have come to deliver a message."
When he turned around after hearing the voice, Lenalee was handing me a letter.
She came to deliver documents from Verdi.
"Thank you."
"I've delivered it as requested."
After handing me the letter, she made a strange face, looking at me briefly.
It felt like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"…About last night, um—"
Eventually, Lenalee gathered her resolve, her face turning red.
Shaking with emotion, she squeezed out her words.
"About last night, what's the matter?"
"I'd like you to forget it without telling anyone…"
After a few seconds, these were the words she offered.
Lenalee glared at me with tears glistening in her eyes.
"…"
"…"
Well, what should I do about this?
After a few seconds of staring at her, I cleared my throat and said…
"This morning, I was questioned by the ward chief about being late, so I reported everything."
"What are you doing?!"
"Look, the person over there looking at you with warm eyes is the ward chief, Cale."
"No way?!"
When I confessed honestly, Lenalee's face turned bright red and she ran away.
It's not something to be embarrassed about though…
"Little Boss, you should have said you would keep it a secret even if it was a lie."
"I didn't want to lie to her."
"Teenage girls really are difficult to handle."
Watching Lenalee's retreating figure, Cale and I exchanged such casual talk.