Benevolent Betrayal

Where did you get this information from?

Does it matter?

Have a seat, Lady Golding. Please, there is no reason for you to feel anxious.

This war is not between you and I.

Answer me, Lt. Colonel.

I know why you came, Golding. You want to buy time.

You are under the impression you have enough leverage to discuss terms. You think you can still help your friends.

How regrettable. I thought you would be wiser.

We had a conversation not too long ago.

You said you did not want to see Londinium become the next Lingones.

Take a look around us. Take a look at the deep abyss that Londinium is plunging into.

Is this the choice you made for yourself that you spoke about?

Golding... Didn't you rebut me on that?

Correct, we are plunging toward that abyss. War has begun. War once tore apart Gaul, our homeland.

What will it tear apart this time? Maybe it will be the Sarkaz. Maybe it'll be Victoria.

You know how disastrous this will be. Hundreds of thousands... Millions of people will—

Will bleed, die, and buried by this era.

You know that better than anyone!

That is correct. I know this very well, but I must also admit that it was you who opened my eyes. You made me reflect on my decision.

If I had to question my conscience—

I would not have cared nearly as much.

Let us cast aside those hypocritical high hopes of 'mankind' or 'civilization,' Golding.

When we were young, we talked freely of these subjects and, with nothing but admiration in our hearts, sung the praises of the outstanding men and women in history.

Mankind, the master of all things! Our intelligence and bravery set us apart from wild beasts and graced these lands with this radiant miracle!

But if we simply lifted our heads from the books and compare, we would realize how close their endings are to the reality before us.

The same downfalls, the same rottennesses, the same self-destructions.

What if all those things we sing the praises of were nothing but temporary illusions? What if believing that they are eternal makes us naive?

What if destruction was our true nature?

You weren't so pessimistic before, Lettou.

Pessimistic.

Golding, you are so kind with your choice of words. You described my crazed musings as just 'pessimistic.'

I thought I warranted harsher criticism.

......

It seems... you are not as resolute as I thought you would be.

I am simply... exhausted.

I merely started to try facing reality. It is very painful, but I have no other choice.

As for the conversation we had the other day, I can now offer you a new answer.

I did not choose any missions for myself, Lady Golding.

......

I only wanted to survive... the ceaseless destruction.

It's pitiful and weak, insignificant and inadequate, but this is the answer I arrived at, and it is the only one I have to offer.

What else can I do?

You're a soldier. You should've...!

Followed orders? Whose orders should I have followed? The King is dead, the Sarkaz run the parliament, and each duke has his own master plan.

You could have—

—become a hero?

At what cost?

What if the price... is not one that I can afford?

When you walked into the room, did you see the eyes of the guard standing by the door?

The officers under me, my comrades, and those bewildered young men... Till has five children, Sasan's mother has been paralyzed for three years, and Totten's brother has Oripathy.

The vampires will suck their blood dry.

Bowing down will not prevent anything.

At the very least... Nothing has happened yet, as of today.

Golding, it's my hope that you survive this as well, speaking personally.

Fundamentally, you and I might just be of a kind. It's only that I have chosen to give up, while you are still standing firm.

You and I are nothing alike.

You asked me where I obtained the information on the Londinium Self-Salvation Corps.

Very well, I shall answer you. From a cowardly teacher.

What are you saying...?

Look at yourself, Golding. Your blunders and the tracks you left behind are owed to your cowardice and fear.

Sentimental kinds have never been a good fit for intelligence work. You've known that from the start.

No, it can't be!

There's been a lot of chatter on my communications here.

The Sarkaz ambushed... the Camden Borough safe house... We.... Their forces...

Alert... The safe house at Auchterigg...

Hello? Can anyone hear me? This is the Magna Borough safe house. We're under...

No...!

Golding, they are dying because of you.

You pushed them into the fire.

This is what your 'fight' brings.

And for that, I can only mourn.

There's too many men. They're well-equipped, and they're working far too well with each other.

Mercenaries aren't capable of this. These are military elites.

Each and every one of them is a bloodthirsty machine who dug his way out of a thousand battles.

Out of the way, the lot of ya!

Indra, watch your back!

This isn't going to work. We are on the back foot right now.

I will locate the position of their commander. Amiya, maintain formation. Don't stop.

I-I got it!

Damn, there's more of them down this alley!

Stay close, Doctor. We will cut our way through!

!

Who's that?!

Doctor, did you hear that? That voice...

Watch out for their Arts! Cut through this danger zone!

Hold on tight, Doctor.

I hate being ordered around! Tsk, fine!

Bloody... That's a wall there!

No...

Some kind of illusion, perhaps? Charge through it!

*pant*...*pant*....

There's no one I hate more than a sneaky bastard like you! Show yourself!

I said, show yourself!

!

Doctor, behind me.

Who are you?

You are... the man behind Allerdale.

Show yourself.

I won't say it again.

Please lower your hammer, Your Highness. You are merely wasting your strength.

As heir to the throne—from a certain viewpoint, at least—you should have a bit more patience.

You said so yourself not too long ago. That we should have... a 'conversation.'

You had the Self-Salvation Corps tapped.

Their evacuation plan will be successful. Do note that this is a promise, not sarcasm.

My sincerest pleasure to meet all of you, ladies and gentlemen. I hope there yet remains room for our objectives to coexist.

An ashen trilby...?

Very perceptive, Lady Isabelle Montague. I should have expected no less from a scion of the Count of Manchester. Indeed, we are often referred to as the 'Trilby Ashers.'

Should you have the chance, please send your mother my regards.

You—

Please, there is no need for alarm, Lady Montague. I harbor no ill will against you and your friends, at the moment.

Is the Arts gimmick you have over there a gesture of your goodwill, too?

I'm not fond of having conversations next to a pile of explosives.

This is merely a precaution.

Well then, here's a precaution, too.

Lower your weapon, Miss Ascalon. This is not worth it.

Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals, made a series of passage and call permit requests for so-called 'industrial waste recycling and processing' purposes, currently hiding within the territory of the Duke of Gododdin.

Currently six hundred and thirty-one kilometers away from Londinium.

......

And what if we are?

Miss Amiya, I surmise your recycling work is proceeding apace?

We do merely what must be done.

You have been very careful. You charted your course and built a well-hidden supply network around your ship. You wish to avoid Victoria's attention.

And you almost fooled us.

Regardless of whether your intentions are good or otherwise, wouldn't you agree that discretion is the worst quality there is to a ruler?

If at all possible, I would say that I serve Victoria.

Alas, the reality is that I serve only a small part of Victoria. This small part is more than enough to keep me well occupied, however.

'Doctor,' the commander of Rhodes Island... There exists very little information on you. We were under the impression that this was due to a lack of importance.

We will reevaluate our internal appraisal.

We actually do not have much of an interest in a so-called pharmaceutical company that deals in waste recycling.

But your operator has a very unique background. Moreover, she possesses something important.

You've failed once, but you still haven't given up.

This is my job, Your Highness. Let us not make things harder for each other.

This sword is nothing more than a heavy rod of iron in your hands.

What do you intend to do with it? Can you really cut through the Catastrophe that looms above us?

It is a mere tale. You cannot wield it to its true potential.

What does Duke of Caster want to do with it, then?

To fulfill a promise.

A promise?

To bring her followers peace and safety.

We do indeed have certain... technologies that can immediately put this blade to good use, just as the Sighs of Kings once sheltered Londinium.

The Duke wishes for this blade to become a turning point for unity.

In that case, those who aren't on your side will deservedly be swallowed by the Catastrophe.

That is how it will become that turning point.

(Doctor, I will make my move in three seconds. We must escape this situation.)

(Our operators on the landship are more than capable of taking care of the crisis that could soon unfold... and so we have to take this risk.)

(Three.)

(Two.)

(One.)

All of you seem pretty tense. Perhaps I came at a bad time?

—

Right on time.

Ines.

Mr. 'Trilby Asher,' you have to admit that you came well-prepared.

Thirteen small communication stations, with four of them triggered passively. They were set up to automatically send out orders if they don't receive your message after ten minutes.

I didn't want to venture a guess as to what orders they were meant to send out, so I took the liberty of crushing them all.

I hope you don't mind.

Your subordinates were very strong, even after they heard the word Vampire.

That said, I believe that aside from the Sarkaz Royal Court, there are certain others hiding in the city who would be very interested to learn of their existence.

Tell me, where do you suppose I should take them?

Ines, former Sarkaz mercenary... It's hardly surprising that you are still alive. We've determined for some time now that someone was behind all these little tricks around Londinium.

You've done very well.

We know that there is a sizable number of Sarkaz mercenaries inclined to leave the Military Commission's control, but we both know that does not come without a cost, don't we?

Your business partner... might be in fairly dire straits.

......

Perhaps we should be a little more blunt with each other.

I know you have more tricks up your sleeve, and you know we still have some trump cards in our hand. Let's stop probing each other.

Your shadow tells me you are wavering.

......

Very well. Let's make a deal.

I have a tricky mission, but as you can see, I am not much for fighting and adventure.

So you want someone to die in your stead.

I have faith in your abilities.

Certainly you have already seen the airship that is currently parked at the now-isolated Norport Borough.

Make your way there and get your hands on its schematics.

You get to live. For now.

You, your friends, your allies, your wounded, and your landship all get to remain alive for the time being.

This is no trouble at all to Victoria, but as for the rest of you...