Yu Lian watched the other man turn his teacup around in his hands. He barely stopped himself from pressing his fingers to his temples, then managed to squeeze out a refined smile and return a textbook salute. "I understand, sir!"
He might have said that, but Yu Lian had already been prepared for this. In fact, when he'd parted ways with his two seniors, Count Blackmoon had warned him, "Once you return from this expedition, even if you don't fire a single shot in the fighting that follows, you'll still be the greatest hero of this war. And this time, you won't just be a hero of the Commonwealth, but a hero of the entire universe. But, young Yu Lian, you must understand that not everyone likes seeing a hero."
"The word 'hero' is too heavy for me," Yu Lian said with a smile. "I'm just an ordinary man of the world. I've done my duty, earned my rewards, and gotten promoted. That's all."
"Then what will you do when your achievements are so great that there's nothing left to reward you with?" Lan Jiufeng asked.
"...Master, I'm only a colonel!"
"But you won't be a colonel forever. My disciple, you must prepare for a rainy day! If that day really comes, you'll have only two paths to choose from. Don't assume that a republic is any different from the dynasties of your homeworld's past."
Yu Lian would have liked to discuss with his master what those "two paths" might be in theory, but the latter had no intention of continuing the subject. He simply bent his burly old arm—thicker around than many girls' waists—and gave him a fist pump.
Then it was time to say goodbye.
After some serious soul-searching, Yu Lian felt that he couldn't exactly call himself