With the final stroke complete, she carefully folded the letter, slipped it into an envelope, and, finding a bottle of paste, sealed it shut.
Lin Yu’s letter home was finally, officially, done.
She then solemnly placed the envelope into the large burlap sack, her heart brimming with joyful anticipation for the next reply.
“There’s really no harm in an early victory,” she mused.
“After all, I’ve already got work experience and a knack for healing magic.
Perhaps a hospital salary would even surpass what the army offers?”
Having concluded a long day’s toil, Lin Yu lay slumped over the desk Lieutenant Xia had specifically moved for her, murmuring softly.
Moreover, she wouldn’t necessarily be discharged after the war.
As a ‘veteran’ who had endured the previous conflict… though a ‘veteran’ with only two months of service felt rather absurd.
Nevertheless, as a medic, or even a field medic, possessing combat experience (a blatant exaggeration), Lin Yu might not be demobilized.
Once this war against the Lanforthians was won, those Western scoundrels surely wouldn’t dare provoke another conflict.
She envisioned herself serving quietly in the army during peacetime, steadily rising through the ranks, and eventually retiring with honor.
What a splendid future that promised.
So many days had passed; surely the breakthrough on their front had been fully established by now.
Had Diacla’s army already launched a full-scale assault, tearing the Lanforthian defenses to shreds?
Such distant thoughts of the war consumed most of her attention, preventing her from noticing a familiar figure standing before her once more.
“It’s too late today; come back tomorrow.”
Waving her hand, she dismissed the person, instructing them to return another day for reading and writing letters, while Lin Yu continued to daydream of her tranquil and beautiful future.
Yet, the person before her, utterly lacking in tact, remained.
They stood stubbornly by Lin Yu’s desk, their military uniform lingering at the edge of her vision, making it impossible for her to indulge in peaceful contemplation.
“Hey, I’m talking to you, don’t just stand…”
Rubbing her neck, Lin Yu pushed herself upright from the desk, looking up to meet the person’s gaze directly.
Within a mere second, she recognized the fellow.
“What are you doing here?”
“I wish to mend our relationship,” he stated bluntly.
“That’s why I’ve come to find you.”
Seeing that he had taken the initiative to apologize and humble himself, Lin Yu was willing to continue the conversation with him.
“So you *do* realize your previous behavior was incredibly annoying?”
“I thought you were too idiotic to grasp even that fundamental concept.”
The black-haired youth lowered his head, much like a child who had misbehaved, humbly accepting Lin Yu’s lecture.
“The essence of human relationships lies in reciprocity,” she began.
“If someone helps you, you should help them in return; if someone gives you a gift, you should give one back…”
Mid-sentence, Lin Yu realized her words sounded as though she were demanding a gift from him, so she quickly changed tack.
“Speaking of which, have you finally understood that you shouldn’t constantly mention the Emperor, that lofty being, at every turn?”
His lips twitched, and he finally broke his prior silence, squeezing out a humorous remark.
“Can I repair my relationship with you while still retaining those particular words?”
Lin Yu, far from being angered, chuckled instead.
She stretched languidly, then slumped back onto the desk.
“I can certainly be friends with you, especially since you testified on my behalf at the military tribunal.”
As her head was tilted, the man in her line of sight appeared to be standing sideways before her, and combined with his facial expression and military uniform, he looked rather comical.
“But you definitely can’t be friends with Gao Hang and the others, not before you change that speaking habit of yours…”
She tapped the table, searching her memory for sharp words.
“You’ll probably have to spend the rest of your life with His Majesty the Emperor.”
She informed him that the other soldiers stationed in the firing points were unwilling to associate with such an odd fellow.
Since he refused to abandon his unsettling introductory phrases and speaking habits, others had no choice but to forego befriending him.
“They used to call me ‘Death God,’ but haven’t I returned to normal now?”
“With just a small change, you could fully integrate with everyone in the unit and forge deep camaraderie.”
Yet, all of Lin Yu’s earnest, heartfelt advice invariably led to exasperation, as he completely missed the crux of her words.
Or rather, his focus always, unconsciously, drifted toward the phrase ‘His Majesty the Emperor.’
“I, I am not a woman; I cannot serve His Majesty, so what you’re saying…”
‘You’re blushing like a startled teapot!’
She nearly gave in to the urge to flip the table directly onto his head, instead pounding the desktop several times in exasperation.
“That was just a metaphor! A metaphor! An *exaggerated* metaphor! I… I… what am I even to say to you, sigh…”
What more could she possibly say?
He was beyond saving, completely, utterly, irredeemably beyond saving.
Of course, with her current strength, she couldn’t lift such a heavy solid wood desk, let alone slam it onto his head.
Leaping up and pounding on his steel helmet would already be her absolute limit.
Lin Yu, who no longer wished to speak with him, forced herself to ask one last question.
“Aside from that, is there anything else you want to tell me?”
“Yes, there is,” he replied.
“I’d like to take you for a walk around the logistics area; Staff Sergeant has already approved two hours of leave for me.”
“…”
Lin Yu’s immediate, unbidden thought was, ‘But I refuse.’
However, she was indeed a little curious as to what this idiot might produce to ‘mend relations with a comrade,’ driven by a desire to observe a patient’s psychological state.
Thus, she uncharacteristically agreed.
“Alright then, I’ll go ask Staff Sergeant if I can get leave too.”
On one hand, she could use the opportunity to take a bath; her body felt unpleasantly sticky after two days without washing, and her hair had become quite greasy.
On the other hand, if he dared to do anything strange, those Black Impermanence (TL Note: Figures from Chinese mythology who escort the dead to the underworld, often used colloquially to refer to stern enforcers or disciplinary figures.) could apprehend him on the spot, making the idiot pay for his actions.
She wondered if a military tribunal would prosecute disabled individuals—she considered psychological disorders a form of disability.
Over the past few days, Lieutenant Xia had steadily brought in a considerable amount of furniture into the bunker, which now offered the most basic living conditions.
Owing to her special status, Lin Yu had also been allocated a small space partitioned by a cloth curtain, where a wooden crate padded with straw and covered with bedding served as her modest bed.
Her personal belongings were neatly arranged behind the curtain, so she stood up, took a few steps back, and lifted the curtain to rummage inside.
A towel, half a bar of soap, a change of underwear, and a brand-new medic’s uniform.
The soap was for washing clothes; Commander Yang had alchemical shampoo available, which smelled enchanting and cleaned more effectively than soap.
Gathering everything into her small backpack, Lin Yu slung the bag over her shoulder and turned to leave the bunker, scanning the crowd for Staff Sergeant.
“Sir, could I be granted two hours of leave?”
“I intend to go to the rear for a bath and then return.”
Her reason for leave was perfectly legitimate; as a medic, she had the right to go to the rear for a bath and some relaxation.
Moreover, as a technical specialist, the regulations permitted her even shorter intervals away.
“Of course, but remember to be quick,” he responded.
“They might get injured the moment you leave.”
“Oh, come on, everyone will take good care of themselves.”
Having received approval, she hummed a little tune as she navigated the trenches, returning to the ‘idiot’ who awaited her at the traffic trench junction.
“I’ve taken leave under the pretext of needing a bath, shall we go?”
“Yes, I have too.”
With him leading and her following behind, the two threaded their way through the defense line, one after the other.
Occasionally, someone would greet Lin Yu, and she would respond with a smile to each.
As for him, it was clear no one wished to speak when he passed by.
‘This is the consequence of not listening to advice,’ she thought.
‘To live alone in the trenches, to die alone in no-man’s-land, with not even a friend to grieve your passing.’
As the two emerged from the trenches, he suddenly asked from ahead, “What song were you just humming?”
“Hmm? You definitely haven’t heard it; asking is useless, just give up.”
“Is that so…”
‘This is a song from my previous life, no matter how widely it spread, it’s impossible for this idiot gentleman from another world to know it,’ she mused.
‘So there’s no harm in telling him.’
“Alright, I’ll tell you then: ‘Fly Higher’,” she said.
Then, brazenly, she began her act of plagiarism, claiming the famous military song from her previous life as her own.
“I composed the tune myself, so you definitely won’t have heard it.”
“Original, indeed.”
Seeing that the conversation had finally opened up, Lin Yu decided to seize the opportunity to ask a few more questions, lest his words and actions soon render her speechless once more.
“But where exactly are you taking me? And what are we going to do there? If it’s just for a stroll, we could do that right here.”
“I actually wanted to take you to the bathhouse for a scrub,” he said, stopping and pointing toward the modest bathhouse ahead.
“I hadn’t expected you to use the same reason for your leave; I believe our insights share many similarities.”