Many years ago, Helber had been nothing more than a homeless drifter.
After losing his parents, he had been forced to struggle for survival on his own from an early age, living in a society where the weak had very few opportunities. He lived in dilapidated, abandoned houses and scraped together enough to survive by begging, stealing small items, and taking on all kinds of jobs that no one else wanted.
As a child, he had believed that if he became strong enough, he would never again have to endure being trampled on by others.
But life was far from that simple.
As he grew older, Helber became increasingly entangled in the underworld. He joined one gang after another and learned how to survive territorial disputes, gang wars, and conflicts in which even the smallest mistake could come at a terrible price.
Thanks to his skill with a knife and his reckless temperament, Helber gradually made a name for himself in the criminal underworld.
He was not the strongest man around, but he was the one willing to strike first while everyone else was still hesitating.
That was what made some people both fear and respect him, while also dragging him deeper and deeper into a life of crime.
In the eyes of outsiders, Helber had seemed beyond redemption.
But to the companions who had lived and died alongside him, he was still a brother they could trust.
At least, that was what Helber had once believed.
Until one day, everything fell apart.
On one occasion, he was leading his men through another gang's territory when he was accidentally caught up in a large-scale gang war involving several powerful local criminal groups.
Everything happened too quickly.
The people who had been laughing and talking with him only moments earlier—the men who had shared every meal with him and stood shoulder to shoulder with him in dangerous situations—fell one after another amid the chaos.
His group was completely crushed. Familiar streets became strange, and every possible escape route seemed to be blocked.
Helber could no longer remember how many alleys he had run through, or how many times he had nearly been swept into the center of the fighting.
He remembered only that, by the end, almost everyone who had followed him was gone.
The men who had called him their big brother, who had trusted him and followed him, had all sacrificed themselves to protect him.
When he realized this, Helber nearly went mad.
He no longer cared whether he lived or died. Only one thought remained in his mind: he had to avenge his fallen brothers.
He gripped the knife in his hand and, heedless of the danger, prepared to charge back into the ongoing battle.
But before he could act, a soldier appeared.
The man did not ask who Helber was or which gang he belonged to. He saw only a young man being swallowed by a vortex of violence, someone about to throw his own life away because he could not accept what had just happened.
The soldier immediately dragged him away from the danger zone.
-"If you want to die, at least figure out what you're dying for first!"
Those were the first words the soldier ever said to him.
Helber struggled desperately, trying to go back and take revenge. But the soldier never let go. Even in the midst of danger, he stubbornly dragged Helber out of the encirclement.
Then he returned to the battlefield alone.
Helber watched with his own eyes as the soldier charged into the fighting crowd, constantly changing position to protect the survivors and prevent the gang war from spreading any further.
Facing those vicious enemies, the soldier never retreated. Every decision was firm and decisive, and every action was aimed at ending the chaos as quickly as possible and preventing more innocent people from being caught in it.
At last, the battle came to an end.
The soldier had saved Helber and kept him alive, but a large scar had been added to his own back—a mark left by the dangers he had endured while protecting others.
Helber still remembered that scene clearly.
A man who had never known him and had no obligation to save him had willingly put himself in danger just to pull Helber out of the hell he had walked into of his own accord.
For Helber, it was the first time he had truly understood what it meant to be strong.
Not to be someone who could make others afraid.
But to have the courage and ability to protect those who could not protect themselves.
That soldier was Galahad.
From that incident onward, Helber swore to himself that he would follow Galahad for the rest of his life.
He left the underworld, joined the military, and began a completely different life.
But leaving a place did not mean that old habits would disappear at once.
Even after putting on a military uniform, Helber still often let his hot temper dictate his actions. If someone provoked him or did something against his wishes, he was quick to anger and would rather settle matters with his fists than talk them through.
Galahad had spent an incalculable amount of effort correcting his behavior.
Sometimes, when Helber caused serious trouble, Galahad would step forward without hesitation and take responsibility for him. At other times, when his teammates reprimanded him, Galahad would patiently explain things and help him understand his mistakes.
Galahad had never indulged Helber's misconduct, but neither had he ever given up on him easily.
Whenever something like this happened, Galahad repeated the same advice: learn to control yourself, live like a true soldier, and do not let the habits of your past drag you back onto that old path.
Helber gradually changed.
He learned to cooperate with his teammates, obey discipline, and put the interests of the group above his personal grievances.
But deep inside, his stubbornness never truly disappeared.
It was both his strength and his greatest weakness.
Once he had made up his mind about something, Helber found it difficult to accept opinions that contradicted his own. That stubbornness had pushed him to the brink of almost irreparable mistakes more than once.
Even so, no matter how much trouble he caused, Galahad always stepped forward to protect him.
Not because Galahad believed Helber had never done anything wrong, but because he believed Helber could still become a better person.
Once, after Helber had gotten into yet another confrontation with someone in the barracks, Galahad called him aside for a private talk.
He did not scold Helber as he usually did, nor did he demand that Helber apologize immediately. Instead, he took out a small box and placed it in front of him.
-"This is for you."
Helber opened the box in confusion.
Inside was a pair of military knives that had been carefully maintained. Their design was simple but sturdy, and their handles were made for a secure grip, well suited to the fighting style Helber had developed.
He looked at the knives, then turned to Galahad with a puzzled expression.
-"Captain, what are these...?"
Galahad smiled faintly and pointed at the box.
-"Remember this. I'm giving you these knives partly so you can make use of your strengths. I know you were already accustomed to using knives before you joined the military, so I'm not asking you to abandon everything you've learned."
He paused for a moment, and his tone gradually became more serious.
-"But these are also meant to protect you. Keep them with you and use them when necessary. And remember: a soldier's weapon is not for settling personal grievances."
Galahad looked straight into his eyes.
-"A knife can protect you, but if you don't know when you should use it, it can also make you lose everything."
Helber listened in silence.
-"I don't want you to return to the path you once walked. Become the person I've always hoped you would be. Each of us only gets one life. No one can go back and correct every mistake they've made."
He placed a hand on Helber's shoulder, his voice growing gentler.
-"If you can't become that person right away, that's all right. Just remember not to let yourself go astray, understand, kid?"