act12mini

...It hadn't sunk in until after I'd finished all my work last night and set down my pen. He truly isn't with us anymore. I didn't have to keep my voice down so as not to disturb him.

Gah, don't blame yourself, Margaret.

We all know you couldn't have made it back, nor should you have.

Nonetheless, I still feel terrible for not being able to stay by my grandfather's side, or to hear his final wishes.

...Maria told me that he sent a Messenger for me from his deathbed.

Huh. Now that you mention it, yeah.

But Kirill seemed even happier when the Messenger told him she couldn't reach you. After all, if a Messenger can't find you, then an assassin sure as hell can't.

He told us himself that he'd rather the children of the Nearl family grow up elsewhere, instead of Kazimierz as it is now.

At the very least, I'm sure he'd be more than satisfied if he could see you now.

Thanks...

So, how was the family after Grandfather passed away?

Not gonna lie, some folks still have it out for the Nearls. Even the Messenger he sent after you got shot by an arrow not long after she got back. She had to hide out here for a while.

*Spit*. Just a bunch of cowards who've only got the balls to ambush a Messenger. If someone really dared to pick a fight with the Nearls, we wouldn't just sit on the sidelines and watch.

...I see.

I should've realized sooner that this sort of thing could happen. Only Grandfather's reputation was shielding us from these attacks, covert and otherwise.

Actually, I was threatened too, not long ago.

Who's got the balls to pick a fight with <i>you</i>?!

Oh, no, not me directly. A friend that I had recently met at a welfare event was injured. I only found out afterward.

Apparently my speech offended some members of the G.C.C. They sent an anonymous letter warning me to be more careful about what I say.

But I understand that this didn't happen because of a single speech or turn of phrase. It's more likely that they simply used that as an excuse.

Perhaps such attacks will happen again and again, until I'm made to cower and stop being a thorn in their side.

Of course, I don't plan to let that happen. I will keep fighting, and do everything in my power to protect others. I just thought you should know.

It's just like the Major. It's only thanks to the support of my friends that I could finish the competition.

Eh, why even mention it? Can't we at least help the Nearls out in their time of need? Besides, not a single one of the folks that came looking for trouble knew how to fight if their lives depended on it.

Don't forget to come to us for help just because you're too busy with work.

Thanks for always being there for us, everyone.

Aw, our little Margaret is starting to act more and more like a real Knight Primus.

No, I've only just gotten back to Kazimierz. There are still so many responsibilities I must shoulder, but don't fully understand.

Right, Margaret, you're Rhodes Island's liaison with Kazimierz. They take care of quite a few Infected, don't they?

Are the Infected and medical personnel there part of those responsibilities too?

Oh, there is nothing to worry about on that end. Rhodes Island has attempted aid in places where their status is even more complicated than it is here. They know how to navigate these societal pitfalls much better than me.

That said... There are quite a lot of Infected who don't want to go through with the treatment, and that's actually our biggest problem.

Hm... Because of money?

Right. The emergency treatment that they provide is only temporary. To continue to suppress the Oripathy's growth, you have to keep buying medicine in the long term.

The way Kazimierz is now, there's no path for the Infected other than becoming a knight. Some will never be able to afford the cost of ongoing treatment.

There are also many who think Rhodes Island is just trying to squeeze money out of them. After all, it is an incurable disease.

—Sorry for rambling, I always get carried away whenever I talk about the Infected.

Well, you've got no one to vent to at home. If you need someone to talk to, you could do worse than us.

Besides, hearing you worry about all that stuff really brings it home that you're an adult now.

Haha... Master Kowal, do you remember my parents' portrait we have in the hall at home? The one from their younger years?

I only noticed this just yesterday, but I look almost the same age now as they do in that painting.

Hah? Well, when you put it that way, time sure has flown by.

Right, I feel the same, and that's one of the reasons why I wanted to stop by today.

I remember back when my parents had just left. I had just learned to read well enough to take in a whole novel.

Back then, looking at the illustrations in those knightly legends, I always thought the female leads were drawn based on Mother.

But what kind of knights were they, anyway? When they left, I wasn't even old enough to seriously spar with Father in the training grounds.

And once, during a duel, Uncle Liam told me I resembled my father...

That punk Schnitz, huh...?

Back when I was still a campaign knight, I'd never seen a young man better suited for the word 'talented.'

Even setting aside being Kirill's oldest son, he was unstoppable. Legends about him were already spreading like wildfire when he was still a squire...

Sorry, I have a phone call.

...Negotiate which occasions call for deploying the Infected diagnosis technology? Very well, I'll pass it on and make the preparations.

Sounds like the Radiant Knight is busy.

I'm sorry. I was hoping to stay a little longer.

Go on now. Us old folks aren't going anywhere.

Hmph, I'm still thinking about the Nearls. It's been a while since anyone's mentioned Schnitz.

It's too bad. He could've gone down in Kazimierzian history as a hero like his father. Hell, he should've.

Right. I just never thought a bright light like his would turn out to be a brief spark on the battlefield.

Remember how we were launching a counterattack on the fortress at the easternmost point of the battlefront? And there was a squad that cut off Ursus's first wave of reinforcements?

Hah, how could I forget? Back then, I really thought the two of them would stand side-by-side on the battlefield as leaders of the campaign knights in only a few more years.

I remember I was planning on sticking around until both the Nearl young'uns had made a name for themselves.

Who would've thought that by the time we finally left the battlefield, there wouldn't be <i>any</i> Nearls in the campaign knights.

*Sigh*... And that punk Młynar left of his own volition.

Well, it's not like he led a real knightclub.

Schnitz wanted to include them in the operation, but the other knightclubs pushed back, and Młynar just didn't want his friends bullied.

...'How could a bunch of refugees who simply want to break through the fortress and return to their homelands possibly compare to us knights?'

Speaking of, where did that punk run off to? I should've asked Margaret just now.

If she didn't bring it up, he probably hasn't written back yet.

He used to leave home for months or years at a time, didn't he? Don't worry about him. Margaret's here to take care of the family. Things'll get better, slowly but surely.

...I won't ask what you two talked about in the end.

You made your decision.

But if you told me that there's no longer a place for knights in Kazimierz, I suppose I wouldn't disagree.

The vast majority of folks prefer the performers in the arenas, who can help them forget their hardships, over a knight who can actually shatter their suffering.

I mean, they don't actually <i>want</i> to see their lives shattered. It's a waste of time and effort. Besides, putting up a struggle till the very end rarely ends well.

...He understood that, no doubt.

I'm sure he did. And both of us have known that for a long time now, too. He simply chose... to bang his head on the past, straight-on.

Well, well. We said give us some peace and quiet to think on things...

Not that either of us will ever have peace again.

A fowlbeast cries out. It is a unique cry, one that can only be heard before the coming of winter.

On hearing it, one thinks back to years past, to the fresh snow they tread upon and the frost on their weapons.

Though it was but a single snowflake silently falling into the abyss, they heard the long, roaring echo of the winter's northern winds.

That said... sometimes I think, hey, even a good-for-nothing like me can do some good and rescue folks.

So who exactly are these 'vast majority of folks' we're blaming here?

When you look at it that way, maybe it's not all that disgraceful to be just an ordinary person.

Besides, he returned the sword to you.

...There's no place for such a sharp weapon in today's Kazimierz.

He needn't have gone through the trouble.

Returning to their small huts in the corner of the village, the repatriated Infected workmen quietly walk past two neighbors who are discussing how to work together to collect the resources they need to make it through the winter.

Both the white haze of their breaths and the smoke from their kitchens slowly dissipate in the breeze.

They will never again wonder where they would spend the winter should the construction team arrive.

Speaking of which... Pinus Sylvestris asked me to pass on this letter of invitation to you.

...From Rhodes Island?

They may be a foreign company, but you're already pretty familiar with them, aren't you?

I know you aren't too interested in their particular business... but you should keep the letter.

They actually helped us out a little when we pulled our little kidnapping stunt.

The business permit I got from them definitely came in handy, not to mention the combat support from the young Pinus girls. I really owe them a huge favor.

Now, while you know I'd love for you to join me, alas, I get the impression you haven't changed your mind. So I might as well repay that favor now.

Besides, my guess is that their 'Doctor' must've told you something... About your brother and his wife.

Maybe a message from the Grand Knight? Perhaps Rossi's intention was to drop Margaret a hint, and in the end our favorite negotiator chose to pass the word on to you?

Even when speculating, you should know there are lines you shouldn't cross.