Part 84: You can very easily say that the blood of those people is on my hands.

-Wandering in the Darkness-



W-Waaaaaaaaaait! Why aren't we chasing him?!



Does this have something to do with your stupid bracer grudge?!
Not in the slightest. That monster wasn't even scratched by rounds from a combat vessel. What do you intend to do that cannons cannot?
W-Well...
General!
Even to you, Your Highness, I shall not yield this point.
Courage and recklessness are different things. Your Highness, I'm sure you saw the damage to Bose and Ravennue. This has, in essence, become a war.
A war...? Yes...You're right.
Leave the bread to the bakers, Miss Bright. If this is a war, the professionals will handle it.
And if you want my advice, you're better off searching for Ouroboros' center of command.
B-But!
...'re kiddin'...



A-Agate!



...
You are the Heavy Blade, Agate, yes? Cassius tells me you're quite an active young bracer.
Don't care what the old man said.
General. Listen. Leave the bread to the bakers...War to the professionals? You seriously sayin' that?
Of course I'm serious.
Unlike bracers who exist only to protect private citizens, we must protect the country as a whole. We must protect Liberl's soil and those who live upon it. The army is the only instrument that ca--
Kheh. 'Protect Liberl's soil and those who live upon it,' huh?



Grgh...
Wh-Whoaaaa! Agate!
Agate, calm down, please!
You're ALWAYS! ALWAYS! TOO LATE! You idiots move like slugs! You just worry about keeping everyone in step! You can't do SHIT without 'orders'! You can't even protect the things you say you will! You can't do it now, AND YOU COULDN'T DO IT TEN YEARS AGO!
Ngh...! Are you...? I wonder...
Who...Who the hell could leave it to you...?
This time...gotta protect...Gotta...protect Mischa...myself...



AGATE!
Is he okay?!
He doesn't seem to have reopened his wounds. He's simply exhausted. Physically and mentally.
Oh, Agate...
He was making an even bigger fuss than usual...
For now, he needs rest in his own bed. His home is in Ravennue. My ship can take him that far, at least.
Ah, thank you...
Wait a minute, how do you know Agate's house is in Ravennue?
I remembered that I...met him, once before. The little boy from that day has grown quite a bit.
What day?
It was immediately after the Hundred Days War.
The day the memorial to his sister and the other villagers was erected.
*gasp*
*gasp*



-Town Where The Lights Went Out-









Elder Reisen: Miss Bright. General, sir. I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble.
No...In the end, we couldn't stop the dragon's rampage.
I'm sorry we weren't of much help, really.
You've no reason to disparage yourself, Miss Bright.
Even with the dragon still on the loose, you have proven indispensable in the aid you have given others. You successfully evacuated the market, and Mr. Crosner's firefighting efforts were marvelous. Only you bracers could have responded so quickly.
Ah-hahaha...I have to admit, General, it feels a little...strange to hear you say that.
But, um...about Agate. Is it true that, during the war, his little sister was...um...
Elder Reisen: It...is, yes. Liberl's forces and the Imperial Army were fighting on the village's outskirts. During the battle, some Erebonian incendiary rounds hit the village. Ultimately, some of the homes were burnt and some of our villagers lost their lives. One of them...was Mischa Crosner.
...
...In a way, the Royal Army is culpable for that entire incident.
The defensive line we established to protect the village ended up doing little more than drawing the fighting into it. The end result was large portions of the village being laid waste.
Oh...
And the order to establish the defensive line came from my desk. You can very easily say that the blood of those people is on my hands.
Elder Reisen: General, sir. Please, you don't need to blame yourself. The Royal Army was doing their duty, that's all. The whole thing was just a tragedy built on several coincidences colliding.
No, Reisen. You needn't make excuses for me. Those sort of justifications hold no meaning for those who lost family. Those like that red-haired young man.
Elder Reisen: Well...
After the battle, I attended the funeral for the village's dead as a representative of the army. I still clearly remember the eyes of one particular red-haired young man in attendance. Bottomless sadness, twisted by rage...Eyes such as I have never seen before or since.
And I was the one responsible for giving him such eyes.
Elder Reisen: ...No. That isn't true. Agate never blamed the Erebonians, or the Royal Army, or even you, General. The person he blamed was himself.
Hm?
What do you mean?
Elder Reisen: All I know is what I observed, but...Agate always seemed to blame himself, in some way, for Mischa's death. Wasn't even remotely true, of course. But he convinced himself it was. And then, after practically torturing himself over what happened, he left the village. He wanted to search for an answer--to find a way to make it up to Mischa. I always thought his time as a street thug in Ruan was because of that...Because he never found his answer.
...
Elder Reisen: He did eventually get his head screwed back on and began walking the path of a bracer, but...I don't think he ever truly found the answer he sought. He's still trapped by that same sadness...that same anger at himself.
How terrible...
Hey...General. Are you sure you won't let us bracers help against the dragon?
What...?
We definitely have some strong points the army doesn't. We're smaller so we can respond faster, we're closer to the civilian population...It's a bit easier for us to get places where the army has trouble getting to, too. I know we could help if you'd let us!
But--
Now that I've heard all this, I think Agate became a bracer because he thought there was potential in those abilities. The potential to find a way to make peace with his sister...
Yeah...I think I can understand, now, why Agate became a bracer when Dad invited him. Dad became a bracer when he...lost Mom, after all.
...
So to prove the potential of bracers...And, more than anything, to help the people in need around me...I want to do everything I possibly can. So...please! Let us help you!
Estelle...
Heh, well said!
...
I wonder. Had bracers been in Bose ten years ago, could it all have been...
Hm?
It's nothing.
Cassius is swamped with other duties, so I will be taking command of army operations against the dragon. I need to head back to the Haken Gate and hold council over our next moves. I will take your suggestion under advisement.
So, then...!
Do not be hasty. I merely said I would take it under advisement.
I will contact your guildhouse tonight with the results of our deliberations. That is all I can promise.
...Right. We understand.
We'll be waiting to hear from you, sir.
I must pardon myself here, then. Reisen, my thanks for your hospitality.
Elder Reisen: No, no. Please, come by any time.





Agate...should probably stay here, huh?
He's going to need at least a few days to recover from his wounds.
We should let him sleep for now.
Yeah, good idea. Let's check in on him before we go and fill in Tita with what's going on.
Oh, um, Elder Reisen? I know now's not the best time to ask, but please take care of Agate for us.
Elder Reisen: Haha, you don't need to worry. He's part of our family here. Besides, compared to ten years ago? A dragon is nothing. We should be thanking the Goddess no one's died yet.



Birnette: Ah, but she was just as strong-willed and stubborn as her brother. Perhaps even more so! When she set her mind on something, she was the type who never let it go until she damn well made it happen. I sometimes can't help but wonder what the future would've held for her. I think she would've been head of the orchards by now! If only...



Elder Reisen: Fair roads to you on your way back to Bose.



Figaro: He saw all of it. The destruction, the dragon torching the orchards in all its fury...I always hoped we could spare the children such horrors. Lewey and the other children were born after the war, you see. I'd hoped we could spare them from ever having to go through something like this...



Pesca: For the sake of my family, I have to focus on moving forward. The village needs to come together and talk about what to do about the orchards.



Gray: But they are challenges we must and will overcome! Ravennue can't sustain itself without the orchards, so we must do what we can. We need to speak with our young people and decide where we go from here. If we mean to rebuild the orchards, we must all do so together.



Hi, Tita. How's Agate doing?
He's still asleep.
But, um, his face looks a lot better, so I think he'll be okay so long as he gets a lot of rest.
I see. So...this is Agate's house, huh?
It's small, but it feels so...so warm.
This is where he lived with his sister, then.
Hey!
This photograph...





This looks like a picture of when Agate was a kid. That means this girl must be...
Yes...I think it's Mischa.
She's such an adorable little girl...It looks like she and Agate were very close.
Heehee! I think so, too. Agate and Mischa look really happy, after all...
Yeah...they really do. Agate looks about fourteen in this, so Mischa would be...what, twelve? Agate's got the sort of face that just screams 'I'm the world's biggest prankster!'
Heehee...I bet he was an interesting kid.
Hey, now, don't read too much into a man's old photographs. It's a little embarrassing.
Ahaha...Really?



Why did Agate keep quiet about his sister? He kept talking about her as if she was alive.
Yeah...but, um.
If you think about it, Agate never said Mischa was alive. He said he 'comes back to visit,' and I bet he meant he visits her grave...
Now that you mention it, yeah.
He still should've known we had the wrong idea about it, though. Why wouldn't he correct us?
I don't know, but...
Agate said once work calmed down a bit he'd introduce us all. I think he was going to tell us then.
That's right. I bet that's it.
Well, we can ask him later what he intended, but...
Um...Tita. We need to head back to the Bose guildhouse soon. But, uh...
What is it?

Oh, I see...
U-Um, Estelle?
You don't need to say anything, Tita. You're gonna say you want to stay behind to take care of Agate, right?
Er! Um!
Muahaha. Underestimate me at your own peril, my little Tita. I can read the inside of your mind like a picture book. It's a 'big sister' thing.
Awwww...
Haha, Tita, don't worry. We will handle the rest.
You just put your efforts into nursing Agate back to health so he can be back on his feet.
Estelle, everyone...
Thank you so much!
D'aww. You don't need to thank us.
There's only one thing I'll ask you to do. When Agate wakes up, tell him what we just told you, okay?
Ah, you mean the stuff about the bracers and army working together?
Yeah. Also, I want you to stop Agate from trying anything reckless--physically, if necessary. You're not to let him out of this bed until he's fully healed, got it?
Yeah...I'll do my best!
Estelle, everyone, be careful, okay?



(Is there anything else we need to do?)





Good idea. We'll probably hear back from the general tonight, so we'd better hurry back to the guildhouse.



-Under the Moonlight-







Still...to think Agate's past was that terrible...
Sadly, it makes sense. In some ways.
Hearing this finally assembles all of the pieces of the puzzle for me. It's no wonder Agate felt the way he did back then...
Back huh?
It was ten years ago. Practically the day after the war ended, Agate came to the mayor's house.
Whaaa...?! Why?
You mean to YOUR house, Maybelle?
Yes, he barged in with...honestly, with murder in his eyes, and came face to face with my father, the mayor at the time. He demanded to know why the mayor of Bose, the man responsible for the entire region...
He demanded to know why he had abandoned Ravennue.
Oh...
I was just a child at the time, and it got to me when I saw him arguing with Father for seemingly no reason...So I, erm...leapt out and slapped him.
Oh, MAN...
I can see why he doesn't like remembering THAT, at least.
Yes...
Though, ultimately, Father never answered Agate's question. He did say he was going to send financial aid to help repairs. Agate grew even more livid when he heard that. He even raised his fist to strike Father...
...But, then, he just left without throwing a blow.
So THAT'S what happened...That's why the air between you two seemed kind of...weird.
Yes. It's always hovered over us like a cloud.
Still, to think Agate's sister died in the war...I've been...terribly unfair to him.
He bears a bit of responsibility, too, for not saying anything. You don't need to worry about it, Maybelle.
I...suppose.
How badly is Agate hurt?
Ah, don't worry, it's not too bad. He'll be up and surly again in two, maybe three days.
Hmph. Let's be thankful for small mercies, at least.
Yes, I'm glad to hear it's not serious.
Yes...
That, um...reminds me, Maybelle. How is Lila doing?
...Well...Her injuries have been treated, but...she hasn't come out of her coma yet.
Oh...I...
Hm. How despicable of our supposedly lion-hearted fugitive. Lovely, refined ladies such as Lila are treasures that ennoble the world simply by existing.
Hahaha...I'll tell Lila you said that when she awakens.
On the subject of good news...I'm glad to hear that General Morgan came to your aid. If the guild and army were to truly work together, I'm convinced no force in the world could stop you.
Nothing's been decided yet, so we can't make any promises...
But just between you, me, and the desk...we'll make it work.

*RINGRINGRINGRING*



Oh, General, sir! We've been waiting.
(And here we go!)
(Now to see just how well Morgan can set aside his pride.)
Hmmm...Oh, hm.
Oh. So that's the plan, then!
I understand. Tomorrow at the landing port, 10 AM sharp.
I'll be sure to tell them. Thank you, sir. *click*



The Royal Army is going to execute a plan to capture the dragon tomorrow, using airships. They say they want you on one of the airships as observers.
They're going to use airships? Whoa.
Taking the battle to our foe in his element, then?
And with the elite of the Liberlian military...hm.
Well. If we're just 'observers' we won't be able to actually DO anything...
Even so, I'm still grateful for a chance to get a closer look at that dragon.
And it might just be up to us if the army fails somehow.
No rest for the weary then, huh? I'm up for it!
Haha...At last, some light at the end of the tunnel.
...Uhn...



Maybelle!
Maybelle, are you all right?
Yes, it was nothing...
You looked dizzy enough to be a toy top, Mayor. You must be exhausted.
But...
I know what Estelle just said, Mayor, but don't strain yourself.
Haha...Don't worry, really. I'm hardly straining myself.
During the Hundred Days War, Father did everything he could to protect Bose. One time, he even conducted extremely dangerous negotiations in order to deceive the Imperial Army. Compared to what he did...this is nothing.
Maybelle...
Oh, Maybelle...
Estelle, everyone. Please take care of things. Please, dispel the fear that haunts the people of Bose...and Ravennue!
Yeah...Leave it to us!