"It's not that I think that I don't deserve an early dispensation, sir. It's just that..."
The young man briefly glanced at Kim, then grew silent.
He did not want to leave his comrades behind. Sunny could understand that… but there was no other way. Restoring two legs to a person was not impossible, if sufficiently powerful healers were involved, but it took time, and a long period of recovery would still follow. By the time Luster was in good enough shape to fight again, the Antarctica Campaign would be over.
He shook his head.
"The way I see it, your lucky charm finally worked. If it wasn't for you, Kim would be dead… Dorn too, probably, and maybe even Belle and Samara. You did well, Luster. You served through the hardest part of the whole campaign… things will calm down after the Second Army arrives. So, cheer up."
Luster looked at him, then slowly nodded.
"That thing… you killed it, right, sir? What Rank and Class it was?"
Sunny shrugged.
"Yes… I killed it alright. It was a Corrupted Devil, and a very scary one at that."
The young man leaned tiredly on the backrest of the hospital bed, and smiled.
"A Corrupted Devil… good, that's good. There's no shame, then… ha, I survived an attack of a Corrupted Devil? Wow… I'm pretty awesome, don't you think, Kim?"
She scooped another spoonful of porridge, brought it to his mouth, and sighed.
"Yeah… yeah, you are pretty awesome… now eat the damn sludge before I get angry…"
Sunny watched them silently for a couple more minutes, then found an excuse and left.
He found Belle a few rooms over, where dozens of sleeping pods were installed in a large hall. The swordsman was standing near a particular one, staring somberly at its closed lid. Inside, Quentin's body slept peacefully, not quite dead, but also not quite alive.
The healer had neither died nor turned Hollow yet. Considering the circumstances, that probably meant that he had fought his way to a Seed and entered a Nightmare.
08:02
Conquering a Second Nightmare alone… his chances were exceedingly low, but not entirely non-existent.
Sunny stopped near Belle and looked at the sleeping pod, too.
After a while, the swordsman suddenly said, his voice uncharacteristically sober:
"Major… do you remember how I joked that Luster would be the first one to die?"
Sunny spared him a surprised glance.
"...Sure. I do."
Belle remained silent for a long time, then awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"I was thinking… technically… I can still win that bet, right?"
With that, the swordsman glanced at him and grinned.
Sunny scowled.
"I guess… but who allowed you guys to bet without my permission? Unacceptable! I want in on the bet…"