Глава 12

A shame you put it together so late.

Men, seize her.

So what did she tell you, Paprika?

She said, war is war, and that's all there is to it.

Hmm...

Indeed, that's all.

If she could just see the big picture, just how many things surrounding war would she see?

This intelligence must be delivered.

Ines has to admit that the Military Commission has drawn up a brilliant plan.

She can foresee what will happen next.

The Shard's Catastrophe will severely damage the dukes' forces, and furthermore, said damage will be credited to not just the Sarkaz, but also to their respective rivals.

And once Victoria's storm-bringing prowess is drawn out into the open, any country across the lands will feel fear, and also fury.

Every seat of power will want to destroy this one, or possess it for themselves.

What if, at this time—the dukes guarding the borders slack on their duties because of their infighting?

Leithanien, Ursus, Kazimierz, and even the old Gaulish regions would never let this opportunity slip.

This is only the first flame.

Soon, an unstoppable blaze will sweep across the entire land.

Ines knows, there is still time, it's not too late.

As long as she can get the information out—

A shadow approaches at the end of the corridor. It is not her own shadow, but the owner of this vessel.

Ines, who has heard rumors from her old partner about the revenant, is for the first time in her life glad that she isn't a real Sarkaz.

Yep, shadow's still there.

The sun rises, the long night having finally passed, and the mobile plate below her casts an extremely long shadow.

...Right.

I should thank myself for finding such a high place.

I'm guessing that a jump from here would probably kill me.

Heh, who would have thought that today, the Ines who always comes back from the brink of death, is finally embracing it.

Hoederer and W are gonna laugh themselves to death.

I hope they don't get to see me in such a wretched state.

—*exhale*

She falls, a gale blowing through her hair, and she can hardly keep her eyes open.

But it is only at this height that she can take all the shadows of Norport into her view.

Only at this height can she manipulate these shadows that stretch as far as she can see.

She knows that she only has a few seconds to make it, quickly falling into the shadows before her.

Now.

Death is already lingering beyond the door.