A Sigh

It'll be Infected against Infected.

The champion of the Major will be decided between the Infected.

Haha! Isn't that a good thing?

We'll show those bigwigs that their shining city isn't so invincible after all. Then, the Blood Knight and the Radiant Knight will tear off their veil of secrecy and reveal their crimes––

The Infected will finally taste victory!

If only things could be so simple.

As for us, what do we do next?

Ahaha... Well, it's not like we have any future in the Grand Knight Territory anyway.

But we can get our hands on some legal papers and find some place, maybe a nice village, to quietly live our lives.

That's not what we set out to do.

We're not ready to stash away our armor and pick up the plow just yet, Sona!

Are we not fighting to make sure those suffering from Oripathy can be treated fairly?

The purpose of us informing the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi about what the K.G.C.C. has been doing in Area 0... Was that not to save more Infected?!

Our job here isn't done yet!

......

I can't really argue with that, Sona.

If we leave now, it'd be like giving up halfway.

......

Sona?

Why will most of the Infected be left behind?

No, that isn't the right question. Let me think... Why do the Infected... never seem to matter?

Workers exposed to high-risk environments, farmers with no way to avoid Catastrophes, the homeless who wander between cities with nowhere to go... These are the people most afflicted by Oripathy.

...A refined gemstone.

That might be the first Originium the knight-nobles ever saw.

Of course Oripathy doesn't concern them.

Why do you pose that question?

No reason in particular.

Will Szewczyk go with us?

What nonsense are you going on about now?

Oh, you were here all along.

How's the wife and kid?

Well. That's why I came by to give my regards. As long as they're safe, anything else goes.

However, I am no Infected. On the face of it, I can even retain my legal status as a knight.

I don't plan to stay in the Grand Knight Territory. I'll use the prize money I earned over the years to buy some property and start a new life in a different city.

Have you considered living somewhere other than a nomadic city? It'll probably be better for avoiding unwanted eyes and ears.

That isn't 'living,' that's called 'surviving'

Anyway, I'm here to say goodbye. The Major isn't over yet, and there are many people moving in and out. It's a good opportunity to quietly slip out of the Grand Knight Territory.

A new city, huh...

Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub, there's something I have to tell you all.

The fact that the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi has been informed of the Armorless Union and of the Infected containment and treatment facility does not necessarily mean that they'll immediately move to depose the K.G.C.C.––

––No, I'd go far as to say that right now, they don't even have the ability to threaten the General Chamber of Commerce.

......

You likely picked up on this as well, right?

Call me cold if you want, but this has nothing to do with me anymore.

For the sake of the short time we fought side-by-side... Take care of yourselves. Don't challenge the city, Flametail.

What, did you just show up to rain on our parade?

This is why I can't stand knight-nobles.

Challenge... the city, huh.

It sounds just like one of those silly knight novels...

Doctor.

I've been your bodyguard for a while. So... what do you think of me?

I'll be honest. Just being in the same as room as you... makes my heart beat a little faster, you know?

Aww... That's too bad.

But I think... You're acting dense on purpose?

Your silence definitely gives you that sort of mysterious allure, but... If you're always so absorbed in your work, Doctor, you'll end up burning out.

This is a business inquiry regarding the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi's partnership with Rhodes Island... Your opinion of me is very important.

Doctor! Nearl reached the grand finals!

'The Wind Knight Forfeits, the Radiant Knight Advances with a Bye!' It was a headline in today's paper!

The Wind Knight is only one step away from retirement, and most likely doesn't want to go out with a loss to the Radiant Knight.

Really makes me jealous of that Radiant Knight, seeing how much you care about her.

G-Gravel?

Oh, I didn't mean anything by that.

...At least for now.

Oh, uh... Haha...

(D-Doctor, don't you think Gravel has been in a bad mood recently? She seems to be getting more and more... Huh? You think it's her personality?)

(Um, all right. If that's what you believe...)

Hmm...

Wait... Hold on...

How many men do I have?

Three squads.

What about you and Monique?

We have other work to do.

Then...

Don't even think about Darksteel.

They also have their jobs to do.

Is the Union...

If you've figured it out, you'd do best to behave yourself and act like you don't know anything. You do want to live, don't you?

...Yes.

So, with these three squads, I'm responsible for guarding the Major arena and serving as the early warning, right?

Correct.

...for the battle of the Blood Knight and the Radiant Knight?

Correct.

...and with the possibility of coming face-to-face with a Silverlance Pegasus?

Correct.

...Alright. Are you asking me to commit suicide...?

I wouldn't put it that way. Just don't do anything, and you'll be fine.

How much longer are you going to use me?

––I'm glad you're so self-aware.

What's going to happen to me after the Major is over?

Depends on your performance. If you're just asking me though, at least...

I'd prefer to let you live.

......!

......

Uncle...

You've already brought things to this step, doing whatever you feel like, with no concern for others' opinions.

Have you ever thought of all the people you're harming through your juvenile actions?

Have you ever considered that Marcin and the others will now be at the mercy of the Armorless Union?

Have you ever considered that Maria and Zofia may no longer be able to live safely in the Grand Knight Territory?

You may hold your own ideals in a vacuum, Margaret, but remember this: Your greatest mistake is trying to determine the trajectories of other peoples' lives.

There is not a soul who has that right.

I am extremely disappointed in you.

......

Margaret...

Maria, tell me the truth.

Did I rob you of your dreams?

You handed both the family name and the right to enter the tournament to me... You...

Margaret! That's never crossed my mind!

I just... don't think I'm cut out to be a knight.

I...

...I'm listening, Maria.

It's been so long since I've heard you... confide in someone else.

I... don't understand what you're doing...

I've been doubting... what the point of a knight even is anymore.

When we stand victorious in the arena, what is it the audience cheers for? What have we won?

Even if... you wanted to beat them at their own game, to defeat those rogues who want to keep you from winning...

What if they let you win because they get something out of it?

Or, what if they were never beholden to the rules of the game in the first place?

You're right.

From the beginning, they never had an ounce of concern about the knights. This, I already knew.

What...?

There is no meaning to me becoming the champion.

But to those watching us... it means the world.

Maria, if you think this city – this country – is sick, what do you think is the root cause of the illness?

The corruption of the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi? The General Chamber of Commerce's endless expansion and exploitation?

It might be either, or even both.

We often say that Kazimierz needs to regain its former glory, and every so often, someone needs to remind it what glory and justice are.

......

But it is not just the knights who need to recover that glory.

Victory is not about defeating some enemy. 'To be a knight is to be the noble light that illuminates the land..'

But after illuminating the path forward, clearing the thorns, and filling up the pitfalls...

A knight should have taught all those who seek freedom to overcome hardship.

—!

Finally awake, huh? Took you long enough. Thought you were dead.

You—

You... You're a Sarkaz...?

And you can talk. Looks like you're doing better than your brother.

......!

......

Don't worry, he's not dead either.

This special salve is usually used for armor repair. So this is what happens when you apply it directly to humans...

The principle behind it is activation? What exactly do Kazimierz suits of armor have in common with humans? Both humans and armor can be activated? Then, what about Originium slugs?

You... You're a de-horned Sarkaz...

Are you... with the Armorless Union?

Hah, I'll take that as a compliment. Those guys make three thousand times more than I do.

I'm a bounty hunter. I'm here in the Grand Knight Territory on a bit of business, as well as... a little investigation related to the Sarkaz.

Of course, it's nothing official. Just a personal curiosity of mine.

––Have you seen any other Sarkaz with trimmed horns?

......

Who cut off yours?

Who would use... the Sarkaz... as slaves and test subjects?

......

All right. I suppose you've been whipped pretty thoroughly.

Want to come with me?

What...?

Big guys like you should be able to help out with some handy work, right? We're camped in the wastelands, and we're lacking hands more than anything else–

You—

––Come with me, Sarkaz.

Come with me, and you just might survive.

—!

...*Sigh*.

Batbayar...?

You poor lad. Your folks won't even pay the bills for you when you're in the hospital.

But your body is undoubtedly sturdy. Anyone else in your position wouldn't have much life left in them after a bout with the Blood Knight.

......

Even if you're an independent knight, you should've at least had some money saved up from making it to the semifinals. Where'd it all go?

......

Stop moving around. Your wounds are deep.

Where are you going?

......

Hey, hold on! Where are you going?

...I'm leaving.

A golden pegasus, a crimson Minoan. I... I've gained much.

You're unhappy?

...No, I failed.

I won't fear failure anymore.

I won't be afraid to retreat anymore.

I won't fear... the beauty of weakness.

...But I am still lacking... I have yet to finish my Khaganquest.

Khaganquest this, Khaganquest that... Do you even know where you're going?

Even in ancient times, it's not like there was a path you were supposed to follow for years, right?

North.

In the distant north... the echoing north where my ancestors disappeared.

And after you make your way there, then what?

Are you going to come back?

......

You... I assumed you were searching for something you were missing.

But it turns out... are you searching for a place to die?