Chapter 8
 The Final Prayer
It had already been a week and one day since the child arrived at the 32nd Infantry Company.
In that time, perhaps because of the ripple effect of Sergeant Hermannâs actions, the child had become somewhat famous within the military base. No one dared to enter the quarters where the major resided, but the child occasionally overheard whispers as people passed by.
âI heard he took in a child from the enemy side. What could the major be thinking?â
âWell. He always has the same expression. Itâs impossible to tell what heâs thinking.â
ââŠBut doesnât that kid get bored? They never step outside even once.â
âTheyâre probably just shy. I heard their family and home were destroyed in the bombing. They said the shock left them unable to speak. Even if itâs a child from the enemy side, itâs still pitiful. That must be why the major took them in.â
âDo you really think so? I feel like itâs all calculated. Like heâs trying to show how generous he is. âLook how tolerant I am.â When the war ends and he returns⊠unlike the others, he might try to become a political figure as a spiritual leader of Salvatore. Itâs lucky the child is a boy. There wonât be any scandals.â
âHaha. Youâre right. If it had been a girl, that wouldâve been a disaster.â
At those words followed by laughter, Sasha flinched and leaned closer to the thick fabric separating her from outside, straining to listen.
âOh, right. I forgot to dispose of the medical waste bags since things have been quiet these past few days. Letâs go, quickly.â
âYeah, we shouldnât just stand around here. Letâs get back to work.â
The footsteps of three people faded away. They sounded like the few nurses from the field hospital who had cared for Sasha when she collapsed from exhaustion.
Sasha lowered her head and lightly stamped the ground in frustration.
They knew nothing. Absolutely nothing about the major.
That thought crossed her mind repeatedlyâuntil suddenly she wondered if perhaps she was the one who knew nothing about him.
They had spent only a little over a week together.
What would happen if she revealed that she was actually a girl?
Such thoughts were inevitable. That was why speaking up frightened her even more. Having nowhere to goâhaving no one she could completely rely onâmeant she had to evaluate who was truly on her side. That was far too heavy and lonely a burden for a child.
No. Even if the major didnât take me in after learning Iâm a girl, I canât blame him.
That much was certain. She owed him a great debt.
So what should she do? Unable to find an answer, Sasha wandered around the tent for a long time.
Then, clenching both small fists tightly, she made a decision.
For now, Iâll try to become useful.
And so, once again, Sasha began cleaning the monotonous tent. No matter how much she swept and wiped, dust kept settling, probably because of the soil.
While cleaning a drawer, she noticed photographs and letters in a small gap.
After hesitating briefly, curiosity won, and she opened the drawer wider.
Inside was a luxurious light-brown envelope stamped with an ornate rose seal in wax.
Is this a family crest?
She touched the wax seal carefully before looking at the photographs beneath it.
In the gray-toned photos, a noblewoman with silver hair braided downward sat elegantly on a lavish chair. Beneath her feet lay a large dog.
The background was a grand mansion. Red carpets covered the floor, golden walls shimmered, and a chandelier hung overhead.
Wow.
Sasha silently gasped, eyes sparkling.
It was another world. She had never seen chandeliers, red carpets, or such a dignified lady posing for photographs.
Is this where Iâm going? After leaving behind my family who protected me⊠is it okay for me to go alone?
Suddenly, memories surfacedâher family embracing her as they collapsed, ash rising into the sky after the bombing.
The more she recalled the past, the more her body stiffened. She sank to the floor, trembling, clutching her shaking hands tightly.
How should one endure the passage of time and the moment of saying goodbye to loved ones?
She closed her eyes, swallowing hard. She thought she had let go of many things while staying beside her deceased familyâbut perhaps she hadnât.
Will there ever be a day I can return to Inferna?
The path ahead suddenly felt uncertain and frightening.
ââŠSasha?â
A low voice sounded. She flinched and turned around.
The major stood behind her.
When she stared at him blankly, she realized what she had just done.
Touching and rummaging through someone elseâs belongings without permission was something that could cause discomfort.
Iâm sorry.
She tried to speak, but no sound came out. She quickly pulled out her notebook. In her panic, the notebook and pen fell to the floor.
As she knelt down to pick them up,â
âHonestly. What are you doing?â
At the sigh, she gripped the notebook tightly.
Why am I always like this? At this rate, Iâll only be hated instead of becoming useful.
Tears welled up, blurring her vision. Just then, she felt a shadow deepen above her.
âUp you go.â
The major slipped his hands under her arms and lifted her, placing her on the bed.
âSasha.â
His voice, having returned home early that day, sounded gentler than usual. At first, she had thought he was someone who only spoke harshlyâbut perhaps that wasnât true.
Still, she couldnât lift her head. If she looked at his face, she feared she might start acting spoiled.
She didnât want to be someone who relied on him emotionally. She wanted to be necessary to him.
ââŠFor a child who lived their entire life in Inferna, leaving behind family and memories must be difficult.â
Surprised, she looked up at him.
âEven I felt uncertain about leaving my homeland. So for you, it must be even harder.â
He knelt to meet her eye level.
Though his expression remained mostly unreadable, somehow that made her heart ache even more.
Someone was trying so hard to comfort her.
That realization made tears spill uncontrollably.
Whenever she was near him, she couldnât hold them back.
âUntil the war ends, you wonât be able to return to Inferna. No one knows how long it will take. But I promise you this: I will do everything in my power to ensure a world where Inferna and Salvatore can coexist freely comes as soon as possible.â
Some words are never forgotten once heard.
For Sasha, this was one of them.
She leaned into his chest. Though she cried loudly, the room remained quiet except for her sobs.
The world without family and home was cold.
In this harsh reality, she had been slowly withering away, trapped among the ruins.
She had been waiting for death, with no hope left.
But then, on a rainy day in Fors, her gaze met that of a stranger with ash-gray eyes.
Like animals understanding each other without words, they exchanged a silent glance.
She didnât look away.
Because for a fleeting moment, she believed he might save her.
In the end, he hadnât abandoned her. He had taken her inâand now he was taking responsibility.
How could she repay this kindness?
If only she could speak. If only she could tell him with sincere wordsânot written onesâthat she was actually a girl. Then everything might be resolved.
Not being able to speak for the first time felt unbearably frustrating.
She wanted to carefully choose the most beautiful words, like filtering them through a sieve, and offer them to him.
She cried the entire time while he remained silent, only patting her small back.
That was his best comfort.
Sasha stayed in his warm embrace for a long time.
And she prayed to the god of Inferna.
Please do not take the major from me. Please, not the major.
Since childhood, she had offered nightly prayers under the doctrine of Inferna. But after losing everything, she could no longer believe in God without doubt.
More than anything, she no longer desired anything beside her dead family.
She hadnât prayed once in days.
So this prayerâthis was her final prayer.
If God truly existed, He must grant it.
Perhaps because of that desire, she still could not reveal the secret she had been hiding.
