Major Rades spoke as he turned slightly to look at the somewhat empty tavern:
"It's truly hard to imagine. Even the edge of the battlefield was so terrifying—what kind of horrors did people like you have to face?"
Shade shook his head.
"Major, don't imagine it. That's dangerous."
Major Rades let out a long breath.
"Yes, even imagining it is so dangerous. This world... But at least we won in the end. To me, that is the greatest comfort."
"I heard from my superiors that once the replacement sailors report for duty, the surviving naval officers from this incident will be allowed to take a short leave after receiving psychological treatment, so we can adjust ourselves before returning to our posts. I may return to Tobesk for a while. It would also let me avoid the outbreak of the war, which is a good thing."
"Remember to come find me then. I always welcome visits from friends. I'll probably leave this island next week as well. I haven't had any free time since the Year-End Festival, so it's time for me to take a proper vacation too."
Do you really have time for a vacation?
"She," who knew of Shade's many plans, asked. Shade, meanwhile, believed that anything short of a major event from the Murmuring Chapters counted as a vacation.
The two friends continued talking about many things afterward: the war that had just ended, the war that was about to begin, and everything in the present and the past.
Though he worried about the future, Major Rades had no intention of leaving the military. When Shade asked whether he would be willing to participate if he were asked to take part in something similar again, the major answered decisively:
"I am a soldier. This is my duty. And