"A little..." Well, now that he let that slip, he might as well explain.

"I've seen my share of aftermaths from fights. My fa- That is, someone I knew had a brutal policy of war. And it made for a lot of people who had to pick themselves up and find other means, once those battles were finished." And he tries to keep his expression from darkening too much at that, lest Shiro get the wrong impression, that Chrom's angry at him.

"...Though yes, I'm also a soldier." There, that at least is something he can raise his head for, and be more confident in admitting.