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Captain, I've checked our surroundings, and there are no signs of any Londiniers.

In other words, your entire squad wasn't enough to stop a few people, and you even let them take our crucial objective.

Captain...

Rubbish... the whole lot of you!

Ma'am...

Stop sniveling, it's irritating. When have you ever seen me hurt my own people? Besides, I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself.

Even something as minor as this... Not a single thing has gone smoothly since we've come to Londinium.

Those... damned Sarkaz... Those meddlesome nobles too...

And then there's that blasted Victorian soldier... the one they call 'Horn'...

It's all Harmonie's fault. She forced me to bring the wolf along to Londinium, with all that talk about how she'd be able to use the soldier to buy the support of some nobles sitting on the fence if she were to come here...

If I knew she was going to run away and continue to be a thorn in our side, I would've killed her right there at County Hillock!

Captain, this time, um... I don't think it was her...

It wasn't?

According to the survivors, the attackers were people we had never seen before. They didn't appear to be Victorian military either.

So what you're telling me is a couple of nobodies can appear out of thin air and snatch a man from right under our noses.

I-It's completely our fault, Captain! We'll track them down right away...

Hold it! Stop bumbling around. We're about to leave this place.

We're leaving...?

Otherwise? Do you plan on bunkering down on this street? We're not ready to go masks-off with the Sarkaz yet.

Also, I promised Harmonie that I'd let the nobles keep some of their stupid pride.

It's all... for the sake of Dublinn. For the Leader.

Understood, Captain.

You say you understand, but deep down, you don't understand anything at all. Otherwise, how would you have let that Londinier get away? Do you have any idea how important the information he has on him is?

Uhh... He was the one driving for the Sarkaz...

Yes... driving.

If he can drive for the Sarkaz, that obviously means he knows his way around!

He can help us find the ones we're looking for. Our compatriots who are still in Sarkaz hands... but are of great importance to us!

Why do you think I'm swallowing my disgust and dealing with the Sarkaz here in Londinium? Just the way they look at us makes me want to run them through with stones a hundred times over!

It's just because... after coming all this way, I can finally do something useful for the Leader!

I... I'm sorry, Captain...

A driver, a driver... Hmph, you just reminded me of something.

The ones who snatched him from us... Were they also looking for a guide?

Captain, do you mean...?

We're turning back right now.

I want to see if I come across any familiar faces at the port.

Say, for example... that bloody Victorian soldier.

Not so fast, you lot.

Once the Captain comes back and we get some reliable information, then we'll let you go.

To be honest, I'd rather not raise a hand against you. You've been slaves to the Sarkaz for so long, you can't even be called soldiers anymore.

But it's not my call. If we can't get any useful information out of you, the boss won't want to keep you around.

And I can't let you go either. What if you fall into Sarkaz hands again and spill our plans?

I say, how about...

You join Dublinn?

Never mind. If you were Tarans, the boss would've had you change clothes already.

It's up to you whether or not you believe me. I, for one, would rather be out there killing Sarkaz than interrogating you bunch.

Look, Londinium's fallen into the hands of the devils. And who is to blame for that? Old friend, I heard you barely even put up a fight. You just surrendered to the Sarkaz, one by one.

Who made the Victorian Army, once the scourge of all of Terra, so weak and pathetic?

Where's your commander? Still wearing a fancy uniform, off drinking with the Sarkaz?

...Nngh!

The commanders were right. Victoria really is rotten to the core. Without us cauterizing it, this great place will turn into a swamp of rotten detritus that won't even burn.

Soldier, you should feel grateful that you get to die at the hands of your former countrymen.

At least your pride as a Victorian soldier won't be tarnished by the stench of those devils.

––You people betrayed Victoria, and still have the gall to pay lip service to pride?

Who's there?!

I won't let you lay a finger on our troops.

The occupiers are unworthy, and you, Dublinn, are even less worthy.

You... You're... the one who fled...

Urgh!!

The eighth nest has been wiped out.

You're... here to save us?

Stand up, soldier.

Let's get out of here first.

...Soldier?

You're... a lieutenant? Which company are you with?

I didn't think we still had anyone...

Rita Skamandros, 7th Frontline Infantry Battalion, 2nd Tempest Platoon Leader.

Or,

Horn, if it pleases you.

9:09 A.M. \ Overcast

Port 309, Sudean Borough, Londinium

The port... is right ahead.

Are you worried about something?

Hm... Actually, things have been going pretty well so far...

With one exception.

Doctor, the Messenger who's been in contact with you and Dr. Kal'tsit should've reached out to us as soon as we arrived at the adjacent plate.

I remember that arrangement.;......;Think something happened to her?

We're just waiting here... with our hands tied behind our backs.

I thought we'd be able to see her in person, or at least get some kind of message.

Doctor, I can't say any more about our current situation to the other operators.

We've already gotten this far, so we can only keep moving forward.

If we can't get in touch, we can't know for sure.

But I can only hope that nothing happened to her...

We'll enter the city as we originally planned.

Ugh, look at how long that line is. They're all coming from the direction of the city...

We're really going to run away like this?

This way's safe. My neighbor's whole family left this way last week.

As long as we've applied for an exit permit, the soldiers won't give us any trouble.

That... That's not what I meant.

I know. We're thinking the same thing.

Four years ago was when I first heard about the Sarkaz army on the news. Didn't think much of it back then.

Yeah, same here. With Her Majesty gone, everything's turned to shit. Who could've expected that some duke would invite the devils into the army on a whim?

Two years ago, I saw Sarkaz troops walking down the streets of Trenfield. Everyone was talking about it as we walked home from work.

I also remember... It was as if things quietly changed overnight. Those of us who lived by the duke's estate in Camden wouldn't see these changes until a bit later.

Something like half a year ago, the Sarkaz army stood in front of our bank. They took away our manager because her husband held an important position in the city's defense forces.

Whew. Did you ever see them again? The police force in our estate was replaced with all new faces, plenty with horrible horns on top.

And then there's... yesterday. I saw the Sarkaz going to the corner opposite my home. They were... knocking on doors.

So that's why you decided to flee?

Actually, my parents left a long time ago. I just... couldn't put down my banker's salary.

None of us wanted this. Londinium... If we leave, we'll never be able to go back to our old lives, right?

Let's not worry about that for now. We should get going. I'd rather stay alive than make money.