Глава 7

...He could've killed me... Mr. Buldrokkas'tee... could have killed me.

But I saw... I saw what he was thinking.

He didn't do it. He stopped himself, at the end.

I can still... hear him...

Amiya.

Tell me the most important thing. What was the last thing he said?

'I have seen. Woe and tragedy.'

'I have seen. Death and carnage.'

'I have seen. Neglect and blasphemy.'

'But someone once told me. It is all in our hands. If in the future, this is all that awaits us...'

'O, little King of Sarkaz. It is all in our hands. If this is fate...'

'Then I reject it.'

He said... He asked...

He sighed...

'My Lord... Where will you go?'

...Then nothing more.

Doctor... I've read it all. I've seen everything.

I read his entire life.

Amiya...

Buldrokkas'tee... He admitted that he betrayed his convictions twice in his life.

The first, was when he left Kazdel and walked away from his life as a Sarkaz warrior.

The second, was when he stood up against Ursus and walked away from his life as a warrior of the Ursus Empire.

And just now... I'd say he made his final betrayal. He betrayed Reunion and the Infected he served, and stopped being a warrior of the Reunion Movement.

With his death ends his last act of betrayal.

But...

He betrayed everything he cared about, because he has always stood up for his beliefs.

But this... isn't right, is it?

This kind of 'sublime betrayal' is a sort of release for those who deceive the world. It is an easy way to move things towards the best outcome.

But not for Buldrokkas'tee.

Do you mean that...

Speak up, Amiya.

...Kazdel is Mr. Buldrokkas'tee's home.

Even though he's come so far, he's always wanted to go back to Kazdel... It's not that he didn't want to go back home, but that he couldn't. He had to pay the price first... for his betrayal.

Ursus is his motherland. He fought for Ursus all his life... and blamed himself for the death of his son.

He believed that Ursus was evil, but for the sake of this land, he gave his life... fighting until the very end. He also paid the price for his second betrayal.

This time... he had to stand up against Talulah. But he foresaw that some of the people he strove to protect would die because of his actions.

Even though the decision he made preserved a future for the Infected, he... only felt pain... for the deceased.

This is his third act of betrayal, and the reason he was so determined to atone for it. From beginning to end, this battle was to make up for the consequences of his betrayal.

Through these three times, fate ended up pushing him further and further when he just wanted to turn back. He hated the cruelty and mockery of fate. He never wanted to follow it, but he bore the consequences for it all the same.

Ten years, twenty years... I'd be able to understand. But... too much time had passed. After facing all those regrets for so many years, too much time had passed.

At the very end, even I could not understand.

He could've taken my life, but he stopped at the end.

...He defeated his lifetime of suffering, his centuries-old ideology, and his love for this entire world.

He no longer followed the principles he had adhered to for countless years. He... succumbed to fate.

No, saying that would defile his memory. Rather, he chose to ignore everything he had been resisting, and overcame the final obstacle within his own heart.

He entrusted the future to you. This time, he gladly chose to do what he thought was right, rather than torture himself to maintain a certain ideal.

Of course, deep in his heart, this part is as you described...

It once belonged to Talulah, and now belongs to you. But it has always belonged to FrostNova.

Patriot... FrostNova...

Dr. Kal'tsit. Rosmontis... and Dr. {@nickname}.

I will end this war.

Right here. Right now.

Right.

I'll be with you, Amiya. Always.

Even if you can save many people, you'll cause immense suffering.

Anger. My anger comes from the injustice that fate has dealt to this world.

After countless years... are things finally coming to a head?

How could something like that happen? This prophecy... is it not just another fragment of Sarkaz history?

Core City Warehouse District

...Hm?

Why is one of Patriot's men over here? This isn't your patrol area.

You, let him go.

Ngh...!

I'll let it slide this time. A little warning, don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong next time.

I just received news.

...Patriot has passed away.

What?!

That's some big news.

So, right now... we have no more reason to keep up this charade.

Your band of devils smells far worse than any of our Sarkaz.

What happened? How did Patriot die?!

Take care of this Reunion scum first!

You're picking a fight with the core city?

What's wrong with that?

...Even Patriot is dead. You bastards... I won't tolerate you any longer!

If Patriot is dead, then what value does Reunion even have?!

Guerrillas! If there's anything I can do to help... tell me!

First, we're going to throw everyone who would toy with the lives of the Infected... right off these city walls!

Mantra-2, put on the uniform. Closure has already hacked the identification code, so make sure not to reveal your hidden weapons.

News of the incident should have spread already. What we need now is...

Chaos?

No, order. Go help the guerrillas. Let the Infected, the well-intentioned Reunion members, and those who fight against injustice rally under one banner.

Just as if Talulah was unable to engineer Patriot's death.

What...? What? What did he say?

Patriot is dead!

The one who was truly looking out for Reunion! The one who fought for all of us! Patriot is dead!

Talulah orchestrated this conspiracy against Patriot! ...She's an agent of Ursus!

Who'd believe your nonsense?!

Wait... Talulah has been acting strangely. She gave an order forbidding us from maintaining communications in the city.

What does that prove?!

It proves... that the mercenaries are going to ambush the guerrillas! I see their plan... those lunatics!

You—

Stop! Don't fight us, if you value your lives. Otherwise, we'll destroy you!

We are the Aegis of the Infected, and we'll battle every last enemy for our peoples! Even if we have to stand against Talulah!

For Patriot!

For Patriot!

Things have gotten a bit messy. You should leave soon.

What about you?

Us mercs have our own priorities. We don't care about Talulah's plots. Do your best, and live on.

For the future of the Infected!