Pruhler had a dream.
In the dream, he returned to his homeland.
It was a small village. Industry was underdeveloped, but that was why it had preserved its blue skies and verdant fields.
There, he started a family.
Besides his wife, he had two children.
In the dream, Pruhler played with his two children on the grass.
His wife was beneath a tree not far away, preparing bread and fruit.
The sunlight in the dream was so brilliant.
Pruhler could even smell the fresh scent rising from the grass beneath the sun.
The children's happy laughter echoed in his ears.
Suddenly.
Pruhler felt a tremor. The sunlight quickly dimmed, and the world turned upside down.
Then he woke up.
It turned out Byrne was gently patting his face.
Pruhler thought, If only I could stay in that dream and never wake up.
That way, he could live with his family in the dream forever.
After all, in reality.
His family had died long ago in the Giant Beast Calamity. That was also why Pruhler had thrown himself into his work without restraint. Only by doing so could he avoid facing that cold reality.
When Colonel Pruhler woke up, Byrne breathed a sigh of relief and handed the colonel a canteen.
"Have some water, Colonel."
Pruhler silently took the canteen and poured several mouthfuls of water into his dry, parched mouth.
Only after setting down the canteen did he realize that night had fallen.
"How long was I asleep?"
Because he was acting as the Angel of Time, Byrne was unusually sensitive to time. Without calculating, he blurted out the answer.
"Eight hours, forty-six minutes, and twenty-three seconds."
"That long?" Pruhler frowned. "What about the Divine Remnant?"
Byrne gave a bitter smile. "It was naturally recovered by the Strategic Affairs Department."