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Because if someone's gotten old as old gets and still keeps that outlook all the way, it just means they've gone through far, far too much, to the point the world's left its bitter vestiges on their body, allows them no rest in passing the remainder of their life.

...And they're living in the desert of the past. If it were me, I wouldn't even have the courage to take the first step.

If I were that old and had that much arrogance, I'd be taking the events of the past and stabbing myself with them, every single step I took.

I can't even imagine it. Stuck in the sands of memory, of all the past, how does a person even know they're still moving forwards?

And what kind of resilient spirit does it take to let them make a new first step, unlike any they've made before?

I feel like you've been hinting at someone this entire time.

I've said I know a lot of what he's done, but I still truthfully don't know Mr. Patriot at all. I've never spoken a single word to him.

If you say that's him, well, why not. Let it be him.

If Mr. Patriot...

You're fast to substitute.

Ahem.

Unlike all the old, aged warriors, young people can much more easily forget things, give up on things, forgive themselves.

So you feel like I'm only fighting for all the things I can see? Or, maybe, you're telling me that might not be right?

Compared to the things you'd told me back when we left the village, it's just too shallow.

In just these few short years, you've already become an outstanding leader. But it's not entirely a good thing for you. You can't let yourself stop here, can you?

'If righteousness can only be upheld by greater and greater violence, can it even be called righteous, still? '

Those words have rolled around in my head for years and years, now. For so many years, I've been constantly thinking it over. I probably haven't gotten it straight yet, but I've been thinking it over and over.

Alright, then. Let's throw fate and making stands and all those other words we were talking about out the window. What is it you want to teach us today, Professor Alina?

Hey. Are you that flippant with FrostNova, too?

Don't joke about that. FrostNova'd freeze both our mouths shut.

Taking you for example, Talulah, you wouldn't fight just to defeat what enemies you see, right?

The Patrol Unit, the mine overseers, the drafted soldiers following our trail, the Ursus Minister of Medicine... if you defeated all of these, would we be victorious?

Since all of these are awful things, and so we need to defeat them?

Professor Alina wants me to do battle with things I can't see. How would I defeat them, then?

With things you can promise. Warmth, food, bedding, these are all things you'll be able to touch on some day or other. Think things unlike those.

This battle of ours probably won't bear results. It's likely we have no way to win.

I'm already not that fond of making promises. Things too far away are near as good as me playing tricks.

If we can never win, then should we still fight?

Haven't I asked you before? When that time comes, would you still feel this fate is worth you making a stand against it?

Once this is all over, you won't even be able to so much as see your enemies. You'll share those enemies with all those people who can't see a future.

...And then, that's when the true battle's really just begun.

You mention that spirit, those enemies, and those things that carve into ours and the Ursus people's bones.

—The Emperor?

The Emperor's just one form of it.

As long as people won't lay down their blades, this conflict will never end.

I don't quite agree. People taking up their blades to fend off what causes them strife is the just thing to do.

You're not wrong. Honestly, this conflict is the sort that'll never end, in my eyes.

Thanks to Mr. Patriot's blessing, I've read no small amount of Leithanien and Victoria's books. I very much liked what this one person said...

'Our war is a war against the ego. '

It's true, Talulah. As you'll never lay down the swords in your grips—

...So you'll never lay down the needle in your grasp.

And that wraps up our lesson today! There's almost nothing left I can really teach you.

The children should be studying right now. There's some knowledge they should have by tomorrow.

Talulah... Kashchey wanted you to be a sage, but people all make mistakes.

When you fall over, you climb back up. But if he won't let you fall over...

Then all you can do is be a little careful about things.

Same as when you're confronting Patriot. In all honesty, I don't see him and you as two different kinds of people.

You both already believe too strongly in your own ways. I can't let those any of those lively little creatures go around saying things like you're right, and he's wrong.

No, Alina. I can't go and do something I don't even believe in myself.

That's true. It's another one of the tricks with which Kashchey bound you, exploited you.

You're just saying there's no way I can wipe him out, right?

It's a sort of idea, after all. We probably don't have much chance of wiping out an idea...

But I'm still just that bit confident.

Confident in what?

If we're still by your side when that time comes, we'll definitely be able to pull you back.

It doesn't matter what kind of Arts Kashchey had, we'll definitely have a way of breaking them down. There's always something we can do.

In this battle, we'll start from words and language, start from the next moment, start from a facial expression. We'll start from now.

They'll know what mushrooms are safe to eat, how to raise livestock, how to get better a little sooner if you catch a cold.

We'll try and try not to lose.

*chuckle*.

And I believe in you. You will have the chance to talk Patriot over.

I'll just force myself to take that as encouragement.

Mm, I'm done sewing. You can give it to her.

I can tell she really cherishes this cloak. It looks like one the army made. And it's three layers inside, three layers outside. It makes it seem really big.

It probably is an army cloak. That, or it's...

Ah.

...Out of all the reasons Mr. Patriot keeps fighting, we just might have found one of them.

Thank you, Alina.

...Wait!

What is it? I'm about to prepare tomorrow's lesson. It's a drawing lesson, so they're all looking forward to it.

I'll bring back two brushes for you, next time.

I mean, what I want to say... what I want to ask is, do you really... not want to get to know FrostNova and the others?

The fighters all know we have a good few Infected teachers, it's just that you've been keeping yourself tucked away, all...

Not right now, Talulah.

Once that Infected common ideal of yours becomes reality, we'll naturally come to know each other then.

And besides, we're all fighters, just on different battlefields. We'll know all about each other sooner or later, won't we?

You're right, Alina. Infected Fighter, Alina.

Hui-chieh:

We have been heading south.

The guerrillas are hoping to get to as many mines as possible before the extermination plan gets underway to save as many Infected as we can.

The garrison is falling back, and we are pushing further and further ahead.

To outsiders, it probably looks like we are hunting down the Ursus squads. That couldn't be further from the truth, and it's a nigh impossible task.

We are hiding from the Ursus Army while also trying to save the Infected from under their nose.

If you ask me why we are doing this, I guess all I can tell you is, 'It's what we are supposed to do.'

That being said, I can't help but feel that by taking in all these Infected, thus giving the other teams some breathing room, we may be playing into Mr. Patriot's hand.

Patriot might have drawn a line. A line that we dare not to cross.

To cross that line is to fight the Ursus garrison head-on—a tall order, it goes without saying. It's either that or keeping ourselves under the radar.

In other words, we'll have to leave the tundra, and that means infiltrating the real Ursus territory—their nomadic cities, where all aspects of life are ruled with their iron fist.

At that point, the guerrillas put their weapons away until it's time for us to take up arms again.

The treatment of the Infected in the cities and ships out in the wild are bound to be even more cruel. I imagine the days that are to come will be very difficult.

It's not easy to take this step.

But this is the Northwestern Tundra... There's nothing but snow here.

We can't feed all these mouths with just snow.

November 3rd

Year X

My brothers and sisters, are you okay?!

It's good to see all of you in one piece.

...Man, was that battle not a disaster.

Thank you, Yeti Squad. It's a pleasure to lead the fight with all of you.

The pleasure is ours, Talulah. We all think it's very reassuring to fight alongside you. We make a good match. Now I can see why FrostNova trusted you to lead our squad.