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Annette's eyes shot open. She carelessly threw aside the blanket she had been covering herself with and walked over to where the conversation had come from.
“I’m sorry, but is it true that a bomber appeared in Sinsier?”
The nurses who had been talking looked at Annette in surprise, then nodded awkwardly.
"Yes. It was in the news. The bombing of the capital was so shocking that it didn't seem to be reported in detail, but..."
"Why did you bomb Sinsier? What do you gain by bombing it...?"
Annette's voice trembled slightly as she asked.
Even if the capital were a symbolic place, Sinsier was only a moderately dense old city area.
"Ah, that's... Originally, they were planning to bomb the industrial area near Sinsier. The bombers flew in at night, but the fog was thick and dark recently, so they must have mistakenly bombed."
“So, what was the extent of the damage...?”
“I heard the damage to the building was severe, but I’m not sure about the casualties.”
"Ah..."
The two nurses glanced at Annette's unusual reaction. One of them offered some clumsy comfort.
"Well, building damage and casualties are different things. Unless you're in a crowded place like the capital, the casualties themselves probably won't be that severe."
But Annette was completely unfazed by the comfort. The nurse seemed unfamiliar with what kind of place Sinsier was.
Sinsier was a densely populated residential area. Furthermore, all the buildings were old, lacking proper underground facilities or bunkers.
For now, all she could do was hope that the bomber had hit somewhere other than a residential area.
“That... I guess so. Yes. Thank you for letting me know.”
Annette, having given a rambling reply, returned to her seat. She hurriedly pulled the blanket over herself. She shivered, though it was unclear whether it was from the cold or something else.
"Will Catherine and Brunner be okay? And Olivia? Their house is relatively out of town, so shouldn't they be okay? No, but it was a misfire to begin with. Come to think of it, Hans...does he know about this?"
Questions that had no answers were woven together here and there.
At the time, it was impossible to expect any exchange of letters. They had to rely on newspaper articles and hearsay to make inferences.
Annette hugged herself. A familiar feeling of unease crawled up her limbs.
Like everyone else, Annette abhorred anxiety. It was a formless, inconsequential thing that slowly ate away at the human brain, making it difficult to think clearly.
She leaned her head against the half-ruined exterior wall of the building and closed her eyes. The chill from the concrete walls was palpable, but it was enough to distract her from her thoughts.
The moving procession continued.
Even without that, they were in a situation where they couldn't move quickly, and as they had to help the injured residents who were trapped under the rubble, their movement became much slower.
Those who had been hiding from the bombing and enemy forces came out one by one upon seeing the friendly troops. However, they seemed quite disappointed to see that most of them were wounded soldiers and nurses.
Residents stood among the bombed-out ruins of buildings. Among them, Annette suddenly spotted a little girl.
A girl with one leg missing stared blankly at the procession, leaning on crutches. Her face was expressionless.
Annette and the girl's eyes met. Her eyes were empty, filled with Annette. For some reason, Annette couldn't take her eyes off the girl for a very long time.
Suddenly, a girl began limping toward the procession. Annette paused for a moment.
Nurses and soldiers passed Annette. When the girl had only a few steps left, one soldier reached out and stopped her.
“Hey, don’t come near me.”
The girl raised her head silently and looked up at the soldier. He snapped his fingers.
“Go to your parents.”
“...I don’t have parents.”
"Then... there's probably a facility run by the country for war orphans. Go check it out."
“I heard it was full.”
“There are several facilities. Or you can go to a church.”
“It’s not safe there. There are injured people hiding there.”
"Then..."
“Just a moment.”
Annette, who had been listening to their conversation, interrupted.
“What do you mean, there are injured people hiding in the church?”
"Everyone's just hiding there. There are civilians and soldiers. They're all badly injured."
“There are soldiers?”
The final question was from the soldier who had stopped the girl. Annette and the soldier's faces immediately turned serious.
“Is that true? Where is that church?”
“Over there. It’s a bit of a walk.”
The girl pointed in the direction they had come from. It was also an area already occupied by enemy forces.
Annette grabbed the soldier and said.
“If it’s true, we need to check it out.”
"But..."
"There are injured people and even soldiers. I think it's right to report it."
“...I will report to the higher-ups first.”
The soldier answered with a sigh. The girl stared blankly at them. Annette took a deep breath.
As for Annette, there was nothing she could do for the child at the moment. Her lips twitched, and she finally uttered words she couldn't take responsibility for.
“As for the church... We’ll look into it. Get to a safe place as best you can.”
The girl's words were true. Several wounded civilians and soldiers were hiding inside a church within the occupied area, seemingly unable to move.
If circumstances allowed, rescue was a necessity. The church wasn't far from here, but there were two problems.
The first was that the area was already occupied, and the second was that the movement matrix would be lost while carrying out the operation.
“Can’t we just go in disguised as civilians?”
"If you're a nurse, you should be able to enter even the occupied territories. There are nurses like Mother Shelly, after all..."
Mother Shelly was renowned for her indiscriminate treatment of both friendly and enemy soldiers, traveling across battlefields. While she was sometimes criticized for treating even the enemy, she was nonetheless a remarkable figure.
A considerable number of nurses went to war in support of her cause. Perhaps due to this influence, enemy forces generally showed little hostility toward nurses.
“But considering that even civilians are hiding, I don’t think we can be sure that they’re safe, even if they’re civilians or nurses.”
Someone objected. It was a valid point. If the enemy could easily spare civilians, there was no reason for them to hide.
"That's right. Both sides are on edge due to the street fighting. Aren't they desperate to find the Padanian forces hiding throughout the town?"
"That's right. The enemy will likely think the church and the residents are hiding their allies. And that's actually true."
“Then what should I do...”
After a lengthy meeting, the higher-ups decided to send a small group of soldiers and nurses. But there was another problem: whether there were any volunteer nurses.
The nurses who followed the moving column had originally left the dangerous Huntingham Field Hospital. The chances of them crawling into a potentially more dangerous place were extremely slim.
Fortunately, there were a few volunteers, but they were woefully inadequate. The higher-ups said they were pressed for time and would accept applications until tomorrow morning.
The nurses preparing to sleep in the underground shelter sighed deeply.
"I know it's a bit odd to say this, but aren't the living more important? There are more than a few people injured and dying, and you can't save them all."
“That’s what the military is like, you know.”
“You’re being too observant for no reason...”
"Actually, if you look at it broadly, that's true. It's a fraud issue. Think about it: a comrade gets hurt or falls out of line, and no one comes to rescue him. What do you think those who see that will think?"
"...What."
"You'd think, 'If I get hurt or get disengaged, no one's going to come rescue me.' That's why in the military, we often sacrifice the many to save the few."
Their voices gradually faded. Someone blew out a candle. Soon, the surroundings were plunged into complete darkness.
Annette stayed up late, staring into the dark void. The image of the girl on crutches lingered in her mind.
Strangely, the girl's appearance overlapped with that of Katrine, who was being dragged out of the piano recital.
Annette reconsidered the life choices she had struggled with countless times.
The choice to reflect on her own circumstances. The choice to reflect on the circumstances of others. The choice to face them. The choice to judge. The choice to act.
There have always been countless choices.
She herself did not choose them...
Annette tossed and turned slightly. The cool air penetrated the blanket. Whether she closed her eyes or opened them, a constant darkness encroached upon her vision.
Sometimes, a world we didn't know about comes to us with a clearer sense in the darkness.
Still, she struggled to discern right from wrong. Whatever choice she made came with consequences, and neither choice necessarily resulted in a positive outcome.
In the past, Annette always chose "not to do." And faced the consequences and consequences. But even if she chose "to do," the same thing happened.
Something had to be given up. Something had to be accepted.
“You can go. Forever.”
Even if it hurts someone again...
“I’m sorry, but is it true that a bomber appeared in Sinsier?”
The nurses who had been talking looked at Annette in surprise, then nodded awkwardly.
"Yes. It was in the news. The bombing of the capital was so shocking that it didn't seem to be reported in detail, but..."
"Why did you bomb Sinsier? What do you gain by bombing it...?"
Annette's voice trembled slightly as she asked.
Even if the capital were a symbolic place, Sinsier was only a moderately dense old city area.
"Ah, that's... Originally, they were planning to bomb the industrial area near Sinsier. The bombers flew in at night, but the fog was thick and dark recently, so they must have mistakenly bombed."
“So, what was the extent of the damage...?”
“I heard the damage to the building was severe, but I’m not sure about the casualties.”
"Ah..."
The two nurses glanced at Annette's unusual reaction. One of them offered some clumsy comfort.
"Well, building damage and casualties are different things. Unless you're in a crowded place like the capital, the casualties themselves probably won't be that severe."
But Annette was completely unfazed by the comfort. The nurse seemed unfamiliar with what kind of place Sinsier was.
Sinsier was a densely populated residential area. Furthermore, all the buildings were old, lacking proper underground facilities or bunkers.
For now, all she could do was hope that the bomber had hit somewhere other than a residential area.
“That... I guess so. Yes. Thank you for letting me know.”
Annette, having given a rambling reply, returned to her seat. She hurriedly pulled the blanket over herself. She shivered, though it was unclear whether it was from the cold or something else.
"Will Catherine and Brunner be okay? And Olivia? Their house is relatively out of town, so shouldn't they be okay? No, but it was a misfire to begin with. Come to think of it, Hans...does he know about this?"
Questions that had no answers were woven together here and there.
At the time, it was impossible to expect any exchange of letters. They had to rely on newspaper articles and hearsay to make inferences.
Annette hugged herself. A familiar feeling of unease crawled up her limbs.
Like everyone else, Annette abhorred anxiety. It was a formless, inconsequential thing that slowly ate away at the human brain, making it difficult to think clearly.
She leaned her head against the half-ruined exterior wall of the building and closed her eyes. The chill from the concrete walls was palpable, but it was enough to distract her from her thoughts.
***
The moving procession continued.
Even without that, they were in a situation where they couldn't move quickly, and as they had to help the injured residents who were trapped under the rubble, their movement became much slower.
Those who had been hiding from the bombing and enemy forces came out one by one upon seeing the friendly troops. However, they seemed quite disappointed to see that most of them were wounded soldiers and nurses.
Residents stood among the bombed-out ruins of buildings. Among them, Annette suddenly spotted a little girl.
A girl with one leg missing stared blankly at the procession, leaning on crutches. Her face was expressionless.
Annette and the girl's eyes met. Her eyes were empty, filled with Annette. For some reason, Annette couldn't take her eyes off the girl for a very long time.
Suddenly, a girl began limping toward the procession. Annette paused for a moment.
Nurses and soldiers passed Annette. When the girl had only a few steps left, one soldier reached out and stopped her.
“Hey, don’t come near me.”
The girl raised her head silently and looked up at the soldier. He snapped his fingers.
“Go to your parents.”
“...I don’t have parents.”
"Then... there's probably a facility run by the country for war orphans. Go check it out."
“I heard it was full.”
“There are several facilities. Or you can go to a church.”
“It’s not safe there. There are injured people hiding there.”
"Then..."
“Just a moment.”
Annette, who had been listening to their conversation, interrupted.
“What do you mean, there are injured people hiding in the church?”
"Everyone's just hiding there. There are civilians and soldiers. They're all badly injured."
“There are soldiers?”
The final question was from the soldier who had stopped the girl. Annette and the soldier's faces immediately turned serious.
“Is that true? Where is that church?”
“Over there. It’s a bit of a walk.”
The girl pointed in the direction they had come from. It was also an area already occupied by enemy forces.
Annette grabbed the soldier and said.
“If it’s true, we need to check it out.”
"But..."
"There are injured people and even soldiers. I think it's right to report it."
“...I will report to the higher-ups first.”
The soldier answered with a sigh. The girl stared blankly at them. Annette took a deep breath.
As for Annette, there was nothing she could do for the child at the moment. Her lips twitched, and she finally uttered words she couldn't take responsibility for.
“As for the church... We’ll look into it. Get to a safe place as best you can.”
***
The girl's words were true. Several wounded civilians and soldiers were hiding inside a church within the occupied area, seemingly unable to move.
If circumstances allowed, rescue was a necessity. The church wasn't far from here, but there were two problems.
The first was that the area was already occupied, and the second was that the movement matrix would be lost while carrying out the operation.
“Can’t we just go in disguised as civilians?”
"If you're a nurse, you should be able to enter even the occupied territories. There are nurses like Mother Shelly, after all..."
Mother Shelly was renowned for her indiscriminate treatment of both friendly and enemy soldiers, traveling across battlefields. While she was sometimes criticized for treating even the enemy, she was nonetheless a remarkable figure.
A considerable number of nurses went to war in support of her cause. Perhaps due to this influence, enemy forces generally showed little hostility toward nurses.
“But considering that even civilians are hiding, I don’t think we can be sure that they’re safe, even if they’re civilians or nurses.”
Someone objected. It was a valid point. If the enemy could easily spare civilians, there was no reason for them to hide.
"That's right. Both sides are on edge due to the street fighting. Aren't they desperate to find the Padanian forces hiding throughout the town?"
"That's right. The enemy will likely think the church and the residents are hiding their allies. And that's actually true."
“Then what should I do...”
After a lengthy meeting, the higher-ups decided to send a small group of soldiers and nurses. But there was another problem: whether there were any volunteer nurses.
The nurses who followed the moving column had originally left the dangerous Huntingham Field Hospital. The chances of them crawling into a potentially more dangerous place were extremely slim.
Fortunately, there were a few volunteers, but they were woefully inadequate. The higher-ups said they were pressed for time and would accept applications until tomorrow morning.
The nurses preparing to sleep in the underground shelter sighed deeply.
"I know it's a bit odd to say this, but aren't the living more important? There are more than a few people injured and dying, and you can't save them all."
“That’s what the military is like, you know.”
“You’re being too observant for no reason...”
"Actually, if you look at it broadly, that's true. It's a fraud issue. Think about it: a comrade gets hurt or falls out of line, and no one comes to rescue him. What do you think those who see that will think?"
"...What."
"You'd think, 'If I get hurt or get disengaged, no one's going to come rescue me.' That's why in the military, we often sacrifice the many to save the few."
Their voices gradually faded. Someone blew out a candle. Soon, the surroundings were plunged into complete darkness.
Annette stayed up late, staring into the dark void. The image of the girl on crutches lingered in her mind.
Strangely, the girl's appearance overlapped with that of Katrine, who was being dragged out of the piano recital.
Annette reconsidered the life choices she had struggled with countless times.
The choice to reflect on her own circumstances. The choice to reflect on the circumstances of others. The choice to face them. The choice to judge. The choice to act.
There have always been countless choices.
She herself did not choose them...
Annette tossed and turned slightly. The cool air penetrated the blanket. Whether she closed her eyes or opened them, a constant darkness encroached upon her vision.
Sometimes, a world we didn't know about comes to us with a clearer sense in the darkness.
Still, she struggled to discern right from wrong. Whatever choice she made came with consequences, and neither choice necessarily resulted in a positive outcome.
In the past, Annette always chose "not to do." And faced the consequences and consequences. But even if she chose "to do," the same thing happened.
Something had to be given up. Something had to be accepted.
“You can go. Forever.”
Even if it hurts someone again...
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