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Did old Wellington send his entire reserve fleet here?

Yes, Your Grace.

The Duke of Wellington seems to be fighting that ship... he must be sure of his victory.

Their frontline forces must have already exchanged fire with the Sarkaz.

Grr, and there's still Caster...

That woman has barely ever stepped outside her demesne, but even she's not staying put this time.

Just how valuable is this ship to be worth all their trouble?

Your Grace, the strategists are also recommending we obtain as much technology as we can from that airship.

Whether we stand against the Sarkaz, or... other possible rivals, such an unprecedented weapon will allow us to control an even larger airspace.

Shut them up. What 'possible opponents'? They're inciting me to break up Victoria.

I came here solely to bring Delphine home.

They're also saying that Norport Borough may be in terrible shape right now.

Delphine will be fine. She's my daughter after all.

Y-Your Grace...

Haven't I said before that running inside the ship is forbidden?

Please, take a look at the shadow of that moving plate...

Something's... not quite right...

Duke Windermere takes the telescope offered by the adjutant.

The shadow of the mobile plate cast by the morning sun does not resemble Norport Borough.

Is this because of the structure blocking it? Windermere thinks it strangely resembles a tower.

A tower?

Or... A Shard?

Is that... The Shard's shadow?

How can this be? Is this a natural phenomenon? Or...?

How long did you say it would take for Caster's and Wellington's troops to arrive?

Perhaps within the next two hours?

A rare event indeed, for the troops of three dukes to all coincidentally converge near this area...

According to reports we received earlier, a few other dukes are also planning their moves, so it would not be too surprising to see their warships on the move here.

I've been in the army for many years, and yet this is the first time I've seen something like this.

Full stop! All units, stop immediately!

Get all of them clear of the area at once!

Send a red flare to warn our allies!

Quickly! Now!

Send a plaintext to every Victorian unit in the region!

This place could well be the target of The Shard's attack!

A-Alright!

Don't turn the ship, speed it up towards Norport Borough!

I have to find Delphine before the storm comes!

Red flares blossom under the clouds, and the distorted shadows return to their original state.

Impressive work, Ines.

It was going to be a simple test shot, not at our full power, but we have many other locations to choose for next time.

I do have to admit I have some tiny regrets.

But the Military Commission always has more than just a single plan.

Inform the Nachzehrer King, it's time to rouse the troops.

The storm will open a path for him.

Ines often says death is also a tool.

She would sometimes joke to Hoederer that she might be getting a little too used to playing dead.

But now, as she stands on death's door, Ines realizes that she feels calmer than she expected.

She closes her eyes.

A blaze abruptly bakes her face, along with an intense shockwave.

The unique smell of the explosives is well familiar to Ines.

Her lips curl up.

Dust and smoke from the explosion engulfs her with embers still retaining the heat of the flames.

These embers gather, dance, and weave together.

Sarkaz history is woven of embers, but occasionally, other things are knitted from the smoldering remains.

For example...

Ines falls head first into a cushiony cloud of smoke and dust.

A giant web of embers holds her aloft.

I never should've expected... that the two of them could come up with anything better.

Hey, Ines. Still alive and kicking?

That explosion was pretty tough, so don't blame me if any minor issues crop up.

Ah man, Hoederer. Let's just bury her.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but I'm still alive for now.

Ugh. Killjoy.

So, did you like the fireworks I set off for you?

And guess what I secretly sewed into your clothes?

Wow! Who would've guessed? A tracking device!

Do you think I never noticed it?

Shoddy stitching, your darning skills are honestly embarrassing.

Grr. That was supposed to be a present for you, but well, I guess this way's fine too.

And these—

Don't you know how difficult it is to keep clothes clean and tidy on a battlefield?

And you still threw me into a ball of smoldering ashes?

You used to call my Arts embers.

Not in the mood for that now.

You're pretty seriously injured.

Better than being dead.

What?! Hoederer! You had Arts to cast all along? I thought you only knew how to chop at guys with your knife!

Embers? No wonder you're so unfazed whenever I throw a bomb at your face!

So, are you not afraid of getting shot?

I am.

Can you fling ashes at someone else's face?

No.

Is your permanently haggard scowl a side effect of your Arts?

Shut up.

...Heh.

How many years has it been since I've seen you in such a pathetic state, Ines?

Believe me, you'll never see me like this again.

Don't be too confident now, we might just bump into the Sanguinarch having a leisurely stroll on our way back.

W, can I ask you to swap your little hypothetical there?

What, did you develop feelings for those crusty old monsters of the Royal Court after hanging out with Manfred for so long?

Hey, you should be thanking me! If I didn't bump into you scuttling around on my way back, you might've gotten recaptured by your old besties!

Maybe I'll head back to prison so I can at least enjoy some peace and quiet without you.

Be my guest, I'll even do you a solid and report you to Theresis.

Where are we headed?

W's safehouse.

Fine, I can force myself to pretend we're going home.

And also—

...Thanks.

...I wanna go back.

What's taking her so long today? She injure her leg or something?

We gotta help her out, she'll be so grateful that we're bound to get a few bottles of decent beer out of it.

What'cha standing around for? Let's move!

Enough, Hannah! Norport's a sea of flames right now!

Baird's not dumb, she can keep herself safe.

She's dead.

What're you on about? Morgan, this is no time for a laugh—

I said! Baird's dead!

Didn't you see that butterfly knife? It was covered in blood!

Baird always kept that on her person, there's no mistaking it...

That knife, in someone else's hand, only means one thing...

I mean, it might be just a misunderstanding. Maybe she lost her knife or something.

She's got her careless moments too, right? Not like she never lost nuffin before.

Remember that one year when she accidentally lost our carton of eggs? We were supposed to have fried eggs that morning.

Sometimes she slips up, no big deal...

Hannah... McClaren is holding her knife.

Baird went back just to look for him.

He's deaf in both ears, so they probably...

Hah! They've been friends for years. You trying to scare me?

Baird probably just lent her knife to McClaren for a bit, nuffin wrong with that, right?

I...

I... I'll go ask him. He can tell us, it was just a...

Hannah.

Where's he? McClaren left Norport along with us, right? So he's definitely in the crowd.

We'll just ask him, this oughta be a misunderstanding...

McClaren—Where are you—

McCla—

Hannah, he can't hear you.

I—

I'll kill the bugger! He's dead! When I find him, I'll smash every single bone in his body!

Hannah! That's enough.

Vina! Did you already know about this? Bloody hell, why haven't you—

Why haven't I gone and smashed his skull in for Baird?! You think I don't want to?!

You think I don't want to?!

Because there's no meaning to it! Rubbing out a frightened deaf man makes no bloody sense at all!

Hannah, I hate it, I hate all of this, I'm a fool through and through, a self-righteous twit!

Allerdale, Baird...

If I hadn't involved myself in this, they wouldn't have...

What did I even come back for?!

What did I even <i>think</i> I came back for?!

Was this... a mistake from the very beginning, born of a false sense of responsibility?

How does she really see them, her friends whom she went through thick and thin and all kinds of hardships with?

Could it be... that this 'friendship' she cherishes so deeply, was actually just an excuse to deceive even herself?

Could it be, that she of all people, has gradually come to see herself as a king?

Grant mercy, sow benevolence... and then, harvest hope and reverence.

What exactly... did she want to achieve here?

What exactly did she expect to achieve here?

Vina, we came back because we couldn't stand it... we were just watching from the side.

Because this is our street, our turf, our country.

You're always charging ahead, but this isn't your responsibility.

We're not following you to see what kind of person you'll become.

Vina, you're just our Vina, right?

Of course.

I'm just Vina. This I swear.

Where should we bring these people from Norport Borough? We can't let them fend for themselves in the wilderness, right?

Besides, this is the heart of the battle.

These townspeople can live on my mother's land, if they're willing to move.

Mother has a nomadic city in the vicinity of Londinium. It's a rather tiny fortress city, but it'll be no problem to accommodate them.

Got any other ideas, Cador?

Hmph.

You know, Delphine? Ever since you stopped hiding your identity, you've changed the way you speak.

I know what happened with Baird... has upset you.

It upset us all, but right now, there's no need to dampen our spirits even more.

I just...

Ah, finally found you.

Could we please have some water to drink?

That Draco... we don't like those flames of hers, so difficult to extinguish.

Damazti.

Ascalon... It's been a while, hmm?

What did you come here for?

We're thirsty.

And to offer a greeting to the little King of Sarkaz here.

That banshee speaks pretty highly of you.

Amiya, get behind me.

It's alright, Doctor. I've never seen our guest here in their current form, but... I know them very well, they've appeared frequently in those histories.

But they're always wandering outside the Royal Court, and they're not interested in anything... except themselves.

Damazti fragment, why have you appeared before us?

So you really are a genuine King of Sarkaz, little bunny.

That thing seems to have also tormented you quite a bit. Good job holding all that in your little head while not being a Sarkaz.

Memory is the most precious thing to us, but it can sometimes also be our poison.

So you see, we do appear to have something to talk about.

Are you... also of the opinion that I'm not worthy of bearing the crown of 'The King of Sarkaz'?

I see that talkative revenant really put you through the wringer.

Don't mind it, he's never been the kindly type.

You're an ancient Sarkaz, so how do you think... a King should act?

Oh, good question. We've never been one, and we don't care to bother...

But we're thinking, you should at the very least be strong enough?

Strong enough to... overcome any hesitation or doubt, yes?

Oh, we're certain of something else though. You definitely shouldn't be asking us this question, little King.

You have a long path ahead of you, regardless of whether you're leading the organization you call Rhodes Island or following the guidance of the Sarkaz souls.

Oh, sorry. We forgot that the souls won't accept you, just like how they won't accept us.

We're all different from each other.

However—

You'll understand at some point in the future, that the passage of time is unbeatable. The Kings of Sarkaz in our memories, all walked the very same path in the end.

Not me.

I—refuse to walk that path.

Don't be too quick to refute us, Cautus. We did think it was a nice change having a young King of Sarkaz, but it seems like you're still chained to your fate.

Though we're nonetheless full of expectations for you, a non-Sarkaz King...

A young King of Sarkaz who is still growing and questioning her own blood...

A never before seen King of Sarkaz...

What are you up to?

We... have no ill intentions.

King of Sarkaz, we don't dare to claim that we're wiser than you are, and we have nothing to teach you either.

We only wish to extend an invitation, we seek an opportunity to thoroughly understand a 'unique' individual.

Ascalon, you will understand when you've lived as long as we have.

When something you've never seen before appears right before your eyes, how could you resist reaching out to it?

O King of Sarkaz, please grant our perennial lives a pleasant surprise.