That day, we were working with the local government forces to hold a village by a bridge crossing. Just as we were preparing to pull out, we received word from command.

The air support was gone. So was the convoy sent to pick us up.

If we wanted to survive, we had no choice but to carry dozens of pounds of weapons and gear on our backs and run several kilometers through the war zone to the third rally point, where we could withdraw with the main force.

But we couldn't take Karina with us...

“Why?! Karina's family to me! We've worked together for three months! Don't you have even that much feeling?!”

I grabbed Eric by the collar and roared at him.

He countered with a throw and slammed me to the ground.

“Ugh...!”

“Get a grip, [Firmiana]!!” He glared at me.

“We've got to run more than seven kilometers through a war zone! Forget that taking her would slow us down—we might not even make it out alive ourselves! Do you really think she would survive?!”

“I...!”

I looked up at him, speechless for a moment. The curse I wanted to spit out caught in my throat, nearly suffocating me.

He was right. This would probably be the most dangerous route we'd faced in three months. Seven whole kilometers of active combat zone. We could die at any second. A bullet could come from any direction, and any pile of scrap metal and fuel could be an IED.

I had to admit it.

I couldn't honestly say I had what it took to get Karina out alive.

“Then what... what are we supposed to do?!”

“Leave her here. There are plenty of guards, and they won't take this place anytime soon! Once we've regrouped, we'll counterattack and rescue her! She'll be much safer here than with us!”

“Damn it!!”

I slammed my fist into the ground.

“Karina, hey, don't cry. Listen to me!”

“No!! I don't want to stay here! Help me, big brother Wutong!”

“Hurry! [Firmiana]! We're out of time!”

“Just a second! Twenty seconds!! Karina, I'll keep this short!!”

“You promised me! You said you'd protect me!! You lied!!”

“I know, I know, but they're after us. You have to stay hidden! They won't hurt you once we're gone!!”

“Twenty seconds! Move! You little Wutong punk!”

“Nooo!! Help me, big brother Wutong!!”

I kissed her temple like a real big brother. Fighting back the unbearable pain, I handed her over to the local government forces' commander.

“You have to take good care of her! We'll come back for her! Two hundred thousand dollars when the job's done!”

“You got it.”

The commander held Karina by the shoulders. Her icy-white skirt fluttered on the battlefield, and her tears soaked up the last warmth she had left.

The girl weakly reached out to me, as if she could grab hold of my retreating figure.

The cross I'd given her rested against her chest, shining white-gold in the sunlight. Its glow mingled with the tears streaming from her eyes. Amid the ruins, she looked like a brilliant flower inside a bullet casing.

“You promised! You said you'd take me to the amusement park! You said you'd let me go to high school!”

She cried out my name.

I'm sorry... Karina...

It's much safer here than it is with me....

I ran with my rifle, heading away from her.

“You said you'd be my big brother! You lied!”

I didn't look back. I gritted my teeth and forced myself not to look at her.

Everything will be okay. Once we get back....

“Wutong! You—!!”

I'll take you to the amusement park, and we'll go see the snow. We can still do so much together....

“—You big liar!!”

Together....

Before long, I couldn't hear her anymore...

And my heart... because of that one cry of hers...

was shattered to pieces.

As it turned out, we were ambushed along the way. Lei died, George was crippled by an IED, and the rest of us got away with only minor injuries.

I made it back.

I made it back in one piece.

A week later, we counterattacked with the assembled forces. The rebels crumbled, utterly unable to resist.

Eric and I killed our way through them like madmen, seeking revenge for Lei and George.

And because we wanted to see Karina again as soon as possible.......

In the end, everything went smoothly. We returned to that village and brought back a haggard, pitiful-looking Karina.

“When she threw herself into my arms and burst into tears, I really wanted to stroke her hair and tell her I loved her. I wanted her to stay my little sister and live with me.”

“But... but what I said was...”

“She couldn't hear me anymore.”

【What happened?】

I lowered my head and gave a bitter laugh. ......

...

On the way back, we passed through a war zone.

Karina sat in the passenger seat, smiling as she quietly watched me. I just kept smiling to myself and talking about all the things we could do together someday.

I didn't see the stray bullet flying toward us.

Karina saw it.

The stray bullet had been aimed at me, the driver. But while I was dreaming aloud about how we'd go to the amusement park together, Karina had already thrown her frail body in front of me.

And then she was gone.

The last thing I saw was her tearful smile.

The last thing I heard was her gentle voice.

“I love you more than anyone, big brother...”

......

...

“And that's the story of a deserter named Wutong.”

I gave a bitter laugh, then my voice began to tremble like I was crying.

“I don't understand.....”

“I don't understand!!”

I roared like a madman.

“Karina never did anything wrong in her life!! Why?! Why did she have to meet such a tragic end?!”

“I still had... so much more I wanted to tell her... so many things I wanted to do with her. I wanted to see the snow with her, go to the amusement park, and... and...”

“I hate God. He protected me, but he took innocent Karina away... She was such a good girl!”

I collapsed beside the bed and sobbed quietly. But even as grief and helplessness filled my heart, I couldn't shed a single tear.

【What happened after that?】

Paper-chan asked in my mind.

“Huh.....?”

【What happened next? How did things unfold after that?】

I took a deep breath and reluctantly recalled what happened.

“Karina was cremated, along with the cross I'd given her and the entry permit that had just been approved.....”

“Eric grabbed me and roared that I had to go with him to avenge Karina, Lei, and George, and fight until the war was over.”

“But do you know what I said?”

【What did you say?】

“I gave up everything, including my faith.”

“I said I was tired.”

“I didn't want to fight anymore.”

“I wanted to go home.”

I shook my head slightly, mocking myself for how weak and fallen I'd been back then.

“Then Eric punched me hard, called me a useless piece of trash, and fired me.”

“After that, I returned to my hometown in a daze. I used the money I'd earned killing people to enroll at some random university, then wasted away at home day after day, killing time with alcohol and all kinds of other crap.”

“A few months later... I couldn't take it anymore, so I shot myself.”

But I spread my hands, wearing an expression like I was constipated. God knows how a skull-faced skeleton like me could even make a face like that.

“And then I somehow ended up getting dragged here.”

【Emmmmmmm...】

“......”

“What the hell are you emmmm-ing for, you mastermind?! Send me back!!”

I took off my helmet, grabbed my own head, and was about to smash it against the ground!

A few hours ago, I discovered that I could not only turn my head a full 180 degrees—I could actually pull it off!

Just like opening a jar!

Ber~~!

【Calm down, Ojer. Choosing you as the mission executor wasn't this system's decision. I'm only a sub-system that just came off the production line. The main system makes all the major decisions.】

“Then tell your damn main system to send me back! Or give me a few powerful cheats! Otherwise, what the hell is a skeleton like me supposed to do to become a god?! Have you ever seen a god this bony?!”

I shook my head around, sounding like I'd given up on everything.

“Damn... I'm so dizzy... Forget it...”

【Let's get back to the point.】

After I screwed my head back on like a lid, Paper-chan steered the conversation back to what we'd been discussing.

【So you saw Eileen as Karina's reincarnation—or, to put it less kindly, as a replacement.】

I let out a breath, lowered my head, and nodded weakly.

【That's why you wanted to keep her by your side.】

“To atone.”

The words came out of my throat with a weariness that even surprised me.

“So I wouldn't be a deserter again.”

“For Karina's spirit in heaven.”

“And there's also the reason I mentioned earlier. I need someone I can trust, someone familiar with this world, to explain the basics to me. The money problem's taken care of for now, but do you know how to become a god?”

【No.】

“I knew it...”

I sighed.

“And... I want to know why Eileen keeps getting mistaken for a half-elf, and why half-elves are seen as a symbol of curses in this country. She's clearly a fairy.”

【This system understands. In the future, when offering suggestions, I will prioritize plans that involve the two of you working together.】

I smiled softly.

“Thanks, Paper-chan.”

【You're welcome. What are your plans from here?】

I rubbed my jawbone, looked down at my armor, then glanced into the inner room at the girl curled up asleep. I let out a helpless sigh.

“For now, the main thing is to gather information and meet reliable people. But I don't plan on expanding the party.”

【No one must discover that you're a Life-and-Death Spirit.】

“Yeah, I know. We've got enough money for now, but the coins in this world are really shoddy...”

As I spoke, I pulled a few greenish copper coins and several slightly bent silver coins from my pocket.

I didn't know if that was the average, but the receptionist had told me that ordinary people earned about one gold coin a month.

“Oh, and magic. I don't know how the magic system in this world works yet. If possible, I'd like Eileen to learn a few spells. They might come in handy.”

Information, money, magic..... There was only one place that could provide all three at once...

At least, that was what I figured....

“Sigh.... Looks like I'll have to fall back on my old line of work again.....”

With a grimace, I took out the letter of introduction Mr. Drew had given me and found the address marked on it.

【Saileda Adventurers' Guild weapon shop owner, Saileda's finest dwarf blacksmith】

【Known to everyone as “Dad.” His real name is—】

【Beowulf】