act9d0

No offense intended.

If you've decided to leave, I have no right to stop you. You can go and be free, travel the world as mercenaries.

You don't need me to tell you that.

Right.

But what about the other Sarkaz?

W has her own plans.

And it's not like we have the power to make every mercenary follow the rules.

That's how mercenaries are. It's a lot harder to keep order with these free spirits than with big standing armies.

But some lost Sarkaz warriors could stand to learn from you... that which you seek.

Regardless, you've chosen your path.

Even if it's a dead end.

Us mercenaries only know how to dive into war, to hide ourselves in the smoke from its wake of ruin.

...I hope that works out for you.

Thanks.

...There are barely any Sarkaz still following us.

A lot of them decided to stay, but there's even more who don't get to pick where home is anymore.

The camp's gone. The only equipment left is the bottom of the barrel stuff Babel left us.

We're more like campers going mountain climbing than mercenaries at this point...

...It's always been like that, all the way back to when we first met in that birch grove and decided to carve our own path.

Good thing Dr. Kal'tsit gave us a few special contracts. At least we'll be able to get by.

If we're still going to be running errands for her, what difference does it make whether we leave Babel or not?

We're just a team of mercenaries fighting to make a profit, taking a lucrative contract.

You're lying to yourself.

...Wait, where's our flag?

I kept it. And everything else. If I'm gonna lie to myself, might as well be thorough about it.

You remember right? Back then, whenever a standard-bearer fell, another would always step up right away.

From the west to the east, becoming a mercenary, then all the way back here. That whole time, this flag never fell.

Up until the 70th, or maybe 80th standard-bearer died. He impaled his own abdomen with the flagpole to keep it up.

When we were escorting the Rhodes Island landship, those enemies... those monsters from Kazdel, shredded our lines like paper.

When that happened, it was just a kid holding the flag.

The enemy had the high ground. Arts rained down around us like a mudslide.

Before Dr. Kal'tsit arrived, there was pretty much nothing we could do to fight back.

The flags are all in tatters.

Yes...

But I've still got hands. I can hold up a flagpole.

I never liked flying a merc flag.

It should've been stomped into the mud a long time ago.

How many vets from the old days are still alive?

You, and me.

...Let's not waste any more time.

Hey, Hoederer.

Did you leave W with Her Majesty on purpose?

What do you think about Her Majesty? And Kal'tsit? And especially... that 'Doctor?'

Never took you for the gossipy type.

Just making small talk.

You didn't use your Arts once the whole time you were there. That's not like you. I was worried maybe—

...I didn't have the guts. Not with the way Dr. Kal'tsit was looking at me.

She's an unknown quantity.

Right, better not dig too deep. Just knowing who that Kal'tsit is...

But, I might've accidentally taken a peek at Her Majesty. My Arts can't look directly into peoples' minds. More like I can get a feel for them by looking over their 'shadows'...

Her Majesty is very special.

She's... tragic. But extremely resilient, and gentle.

Dr. Kal'tsit is strange. She has this almost mechanical feel to her, but like a machine, how can I put it? Full of humanity.

...You're talking about Kal'tsit?

You can't feel it, can you?

She sees us all as equals. She didn't call us 'devils.'

Maybe just because Her Majesty was there.

What about the one they just call 'The Doctor?'

...Let's put it like this: the soldiers are the pawns in the game. The commander is the player.

When I saw the Doctor, I was struck with the feeling that I'm always gonna be a pawn.

That one's not a battlefield commander. The Doctor runs the whole war.

That's not why.

Do you know what the biggest difference is between the piece and the player?

No... But why are you talking like W now? You were always impatient. Never heard you talking in riddles like this before.

A chess player's main focus is never on the pieces, or even the game. It's always on the other player. You always want to beat an even match.

After a win, the player goes home to a nice, hot meal. The pieces get popped back into the box and stashed away.

The player gets to sleep, wake up, walk, and talk. The pieces just sit there in the cupboard.

We're all objects. Inanimate objects. There was only one person, one thing really alive on that battlefield. And it was that one.

If we're still gonna call ourselves people, then, well... the Doctor's something else.

Okay then. I think it's safe to say we agree on that one.

But it looks like Her Majesty, Kal'tsit, and whoever else don't really mind.

Dr. Kal'tsit's always been careful. And even though we weren't working together for very long, I got the impression their troops are kind of in the dark about it.

I told W: some things are already starting to change.

...Leaving might be the right call.

Wait, you still didn't answer my question. If we're on the same page, why'd you leave W there then?

Are you worried about her?

So what if I am? Answer me already.

...For insurance. Just in case one day, we have to switch sides.

Or do you think the Regent, Her Majesty's brother, will open his heart, say 'all is forgiven,' and keep letting us raid the Lateranos?

I want to get away from this war. I'm sick of fighting our own people... and we've already suffered enough.

...Hmph.

Don't get me wrong, W buying us some insurance wasn't the original plan...

But her face lit up when I told her she could stay...

Tch... What an ingrate.

You've taken to our work unexpectedly quickly.

And that goes for your two friends as well. Though they didn't accept the Doctor's invitation to stay, they still performed their work admirably.

Uh-huh. So, did Theresa say anything?

...If you seek Her Majesty's praise, you may petition for an audience with her yourself.

Assuming that you can avoid Ms. Kal'tsit, that is.

There goes that idea. That bitch is stuck to Theresa like glue. Tch, what a headache.

Anyway, where are they now?

And yet you still intend to seek her out?

I just want to go take a look. Can't get chewed out for doing that, right?

Now who's the bigger headache?

Hey, I worked my ass off to dig out seven spies stuck in with your refugees. Seven! And a caster too! Do you know how hard that was?

Keep it down. Your presence, as well as the details of your mission are both confidential... Shh.

That was your job, and if I recall correctly, the Doctor asked you to keep at least one alive.

Yeah, the 'alive' part is trickier than you'd think. Guy offed himself before I could even murk him. What's a girl supposed to do?

...*Sigh*.

They're on the bridge. Amiya should be there too.