[ It's not in his plans, but that doesn't mean he's opposed to it or doesn't appreciate the sentiment.
Anyway, the mirrors are awake again, taking them to another scene.
—In Ailell—the aptly named Valley of Torment—over a hundred Imperial soldiers die at the hands of your strategy.
Well. Technically, they die at the hands of the church forces sent to ambush them. But Edelgard had requested that you send support to her troops with two objectives: 1) rescue her soldiers, and 2) eliminate the church's presence. In order to ensure you achieved objective 2 without any casualties to your own men, you had to forfeit objective 1.
Because you're in a precarious position: a newly titled king with everything to lose. The other nobles don't trust you, and the citizens are exhausted by war. You have to keep casualties to a minimum if you want to protect the delicate power of balance that has been laid out for Leicester, even at the cost of your allies' lives.
You had decided already that you would prioritize being a good king over being a good man. Now it's time live with the consequences of that decision.
yves has seen so many of these instances this week—war and the way that it's battered people in horrible situations. perhaps he comes from the island beloved by death, but he still wouldn't ever claim to have seen destruction on this scale. the struggle of these types of decisions being made, and deciding who gets to live and die.
afterward, he looks back over with claude with an expression filled only with concern. yves can see both sides of the argument, to the point that he doesn't think it's right for him to claim right or wrong. that's never been his mentality to begin with. ]
... Claude. [ reaches to take his hand gently, if he's allowed ] Are you alright?
[ can't disagree there. anyone who wants that much power or shrugs it off probably shouldn't have it. ]
From what I've seen... Scien was the default leader of our country for a few decades, and he holed himself up in the Institute only focusing on his research so he could save as many lives as possible. People mistook him for a god, and I think ultimately that's what led to... how we lost him.
[ . . . ]
I think the only thing that could've saved him would've been more outstretched hands. People who'd cross the boundary... even if convincing him to take them would've been a trial worthy of suffering Hades. [ yves loves scien but he also knows scien is a bitch ] No one could replace him in his role and responsibility, no. No one else could do what Scien did.
... but at least he wouldn't have been so alone, when he started to lose what he cherished.
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[ It's not in his plans, but that doesn't mean he's opposed to it or doesn't appreciate the sentiment.
Anyway, the mirrors are awake again, taking them to another scene.
—In Ailell—the aptly named Valley of Torment—over a hundred Imperial soldiers die at the hands of your strategy.
Well. Technically, they die at the hands of the church forces sent to ambush them. But Edelgard had requested that you send support to her troops with two objectives: 1) rescue her soldiers, and 2) eliminate the church's presence. In order to ensure you achieved objective 2 without any casualties to your own men, you had to forfeit objective 1.
Because you're in a precarious position: a newly titled king with everything to lose. The other nobles don't trust you, and the citizens are exhausted by war. You have to keep casualties to a minimum if you want to protect the delicate power of balance that has been laid out for Leicester, even at the cost of your allies' lives.
You had decided already that you would prioritize being a good king over being a good man. Now it's time live with the consequences of that decision.
But your friend doesn't see it the way you do, her outrage as fiery as the battlefield you stand on. You field her anger, and Judith's chastising. Because you have to. It's your responsibility to be sympathetic to the people that you serve, even though it stings when she questions your friendship. One of your dearest friends. How could she think that about you?
But perhaps being a good king means you can't be a good friend either, and that's just something you'll have to bear. ]
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yves has seen so many of these instances this week—war and the way that it's battered people in horrible situations. perhaps he comes from the island beloved by death, but he still wouldn't ever claim to have seen destruction on this scale. the struggle of these types of decisions being made, and deciding who gets to live and die.
afterward, he looks back over with claude with an expression filled only with concern. yves can see both sides of the argument, to the point that he doesn't think it's right for him to claim right or wrong. that's never been his mentality to begin with. ]
... Claude. [ reaches to take his hand gently, if he's allowed ] Are you alright?
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Eventually, he just sighs and shakes his head. ]
Yeah. It was a bad decision on my part, and they were right to call me out on it. I'm glad for it, actually.
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... I'm learning a lot about war this week. [ the sheer scale of devastation that he only experienced once toward the end of his life ]
But... I'm glad you have trustworthy companions who you can rely on to adjust your course.
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It's not something you should learn about if you can help it.
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[ the scale of it is different, even if commanding people and being responsible for their lives is familiar ]
It doesn't change that it must be a heavy burden for you to carry.... and made harder when you care so much about people.
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[ If it's taken lightly, then that's a problem. ]
But I do wonder if there's a way to do it without being suffocated, a little. So far I haven't received any positive answers.
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From what I've seen... Scien was the default leader of our country for a few decades, and he holed himself up in the Institute only focusing on his research so he could save as many lives as possible. People mistook him for a god, and I think ultimately that's what led to... how we lost him.
[ . . . ]
I think the only thing that could've saved him would've been more outstretched hands. People who'd cross the boundary... even if convincing him to take them would've been a trial worthy of suffering Hades. [ yves loves scien but he also knows scien is a bitch ] No one could replace him in his role and responsibility, no. No one else could do what Scien did.
... but at least he wouldn't have been so alone, when he started to lose what he cherished.