act12mini

...Sorry, I suppose that was a difficult question.

I only thought that if the target happened to show up in the slums tonight, perhaps out of the naive logic we've heard from him...

I believe that people still capable onto such ideals should not die, even if they are often the first to fall into the maws of fate.

Heh... So why did you sign up for this operation?

Everyone in the knightclub is of one mind about this.

We agree that it's time for those who are dreaming away in the safe cocoons of the cities to wake up and face the reality of our struggles and the impending threat.

Leithanien's ambitions are obvious. Their war preparations have never halted. We should not remain idle while they're preparing to tear away the facade of peace.

Even if this incident doesn't reignite the flames of war between Kazimierz and Leithanien, the people will remember this time of turmoil.

They'll understand who it is that truly protects them.

Ah, that's what I said in my rallying speech, wasn't it?

Sorry... but we all think the same way.

If I had to come up with something else... the battlefield is the only place knights can truly find glory.

We're an unremarkable knightclub stationed on the outskirts, with neither military exploits or a venerable tradition to call our own.

Most of us come from branches or retainers of the great houses, without the prestigious bloodlines needed to make it into the great knightclubs.

But as long as we get the chance to set foot on the battlefield, I know we will prove our mettle. We will not allow mere merchants to sell our victory, nor will we cower before the enemy's guns.

...If only all of Kazimierz shared our conviction.

Don't say that... it's our job as knights to go to war.

Let them be weak or fearful. We fight so that they don't have to, and in so doing convince them to put faith in us.

*cough*...

Is the wind blowing the smoke into your eyes? Perhaps you should move over here?

I'm fine.

Is that... Captain Celina's diary that you're burning?

Yes. I've read it enough times to have it memorized.

But many of its records are no longer relevant. I wanted to dispose of it, lest it become our shackles in the future.

...You're right. We still miss her.

You know, of course, how that conflict between the nobles disillusioned us with the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi Kazimierz.

Hard to believe that we lost her to what began as a property dispute in a small village.

No, it was no complicated political conflict.

Of course, I won't forget those responsible for her death either.

They simply found an opportunity to exact revenge on us, after many years of waiting.

We ticked off a lot of people in high places before we joined the campaign knights. They took her life as a warning to me.

Sorry, I didn't mean to pry...

No, it was never something that should be left unsaid.

We wanted to help those struggling to make ends meet under crippling taxes. Those who lost their homes to the G.C.C.'s bulldozers...

It's only human to feel sympathy for them.

We've done nothing to be ashamed of. It was the nobles and merchants who colluded with the media to keep the silence, covering up their crimes.

It was a silence that should not exist, at least not among knights.

No knight should ever bow down to wealth and power, but there is no shame in kneeling before suffering.

...I'll try to keep that in mind, if I ever get a chance.

It's easier said than done, given the current state of Kazimierz.

Most who pursue their ideals here find themselves walking not on wide roads and flat terrain, but rather stumbling along the edge of a cliff.

Those who throw themselves bravely into the abyss don't even make a sound.

...That's why I'm trying to bring the thunder of war to this land, and carve out a path amidst despair.

You're going to go find him? Where? The campaign knight camp?

Where else?

I wrote to him, you know. Anything there is to say, I already did. I don't know if we can still convince him to turn back.

...Sitting around and watching this unfold is not an option, Toland.

I can't stand idly by while he puts all his hopes on war. That's akin to admitting failure.

...Disillusionment leads to extreme solutions. It's <i>because</i> we understand that we're angry.

Not at him, though... at the Kazimierz that's driven us all to desperation.

But even if you wanted to pit yourselves against the entire knightclub, and had the ability to do so... that's why he took your sword.

There's nothing stopping me from trying to dissuade him.

—Why do you think the hunters were so willing to follow you back then?

You don't have to make enemies of the campaign knights.

And you don't have to be so reckless.

I know what you're concerned about, of course.

It's certainly harder for us to make a move when our brothers are still in their hands, and we could hardly expect to go head-to-head with campaign knights.

But it's sad enough for Czcibor to have gone rogue on us. Can't you at least give me the hope that not all knights are like that?

I didn't like how my father saw things. Who decides who's the farmer, and who are the crops?

Who decides they could push crops into the earth to make it more fertile?

...No, I won't write this in the letter. A knight should not question endlessly, not without finding an answer into which he can place his trust.

But I'll always remember the questions.

...I mean, I won't stop you if you still want to go have a chat with him. I'll just sit here lamenting how friendships change.

But really think about it.

Boss.

What is it?

The Leithanian noble is heading out quietly with his bodyguard.

Now?

They want to flee Kazimierz at this juncture? Foolish.

They will not elude the campaign knights.

Looks like we're running out of time to talk this out.

I came to meet up with a few new business partners. I ought to give them a heads-up before defecation encounters ventilation. It wouldn't do to get them killed in this mess.

I have a grave matter to talk about, Toland.

Protect the Leithanian.

...Deal.

Any way we choose, as long as we can delay the campaign knights, right?

Then we do this my way, as usual.

What about you?

I'm going to find Czcibor.

Hah.

You've never turned your back on anything that you felt was right, never mind putting it on a scale.

One last question, then.

You're not expecting to this to end peacefully, are you?

The night wind is chilling, and the only sound in the darkness is the rushing river.

The factories stand quietly in the river valley, their massive steel silhouettes illuminated by their lights.

People still believe they can bring back the sunset, a time when blood and fire had warmth, when there was a long path ahead of them.

Now, though, there is no time to reminisce.

No time for nostalgia, or anger at all that has changed.

Młynar extends his hand.

'Give me a sword.'

Affirmative. Target is on the expressway towards the city exit.

He couldn't even wait until tomorrow's ceremony... knowing full well that a diplomatic incident would ensue.

Should we take control of the gates and stop the target from leaving?

Is anyone else monitoring him?

The only people nearby are two homeless sleeping on the streets.

Commandeer the foreign visitor gate. Call it a security checkpoint.

Yes, sir.

...Excuse me.

A runner just brought urgent orders.

They're... signed by the Grand Knight herself.