47 Lazars file (1/2)

Lazar was used to it and generally waited for Francis to explain himself to determine if he too needed to worry because no matter how big a problem they were facing, Francis tended to over-dramatize.

However, this time the situation looked different.

Lazar didn't know why, but he had the unpleasant impression that Francis had summed up their case perfectly well, and given the nature of their relationship, he even had an idea of what Francis was about to say...

Contrary to what everyone thought, what linked Lazar and Francis wasn't friendship but kind of a mutual assistance.

After a while Francis had come to think that he and Lazar had gotten past that stage and he was even beginning to believe, like everyone else, that they had become friends, but he was mistaken....

When it came to choosing his friends, Lazar was particularly elitist, reason why he simply didn't have any.

No one met his criteria and especially not Francis, whose extreme kindness and altruism were seen as weaknesses in his eyes.

On top of that, Francis was weak, phobic, and judgmental of Lazar's individualism which made him a fucking hypocrite because deep down even he knew that his great principles of mutual aid would vanish if he felt he was in danger.

With all of this, how could he match Lazar's conception of a friend...

The idea of what friendship should be, Lazar had gotten it from something his grandfather had told him when he first mentioned the people he fought with during the war.

'Throw a gun between two random people who claim to be friends and tell them that only one of them can survive. In most cases, they will hesitate for a while, then one of them will end up throwing himself at the gun to kill the other...'

'...I'm not making a generalization. Some will not have the courage to kill and will let themselves be killed, others will think that their life is worthless compared to the other and will let themselves be killed and many others will have different reactions leading to their sacrifice...'

'...But despite that, it would be very naive to believe that sacrificing oneself is the decision that represents the most humanity...'

'...After all, you and I are in a good position to know that we can't determine the true value of our lives, let alone compare it to the value of the lives of others before facing death up close...'

'...Anyway... '

'...Before going to war, I thought that my life was worth more than anyone else's except your grandmother's and your father's...'

'...But war makes you change your mind about a lot of things and the number of people I could sacrifice for has increased....'

'...Personally, I chose to not only die but also live with honor and I only allowed myself to be backed up by people who thought the same way...'

'...I'll tell you what would happen if you made the same experience with two of the people with whom I sweated with, shed blood with, killed with during years...'

'...I guarantee you that they will fight for the gun from the start to put a bullet in their own heads...'