"…Grandmaster, I don't understand why the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi would do this."
"…"
"Even if they want to improve relations with Ursus, there's no need to go this far, openly praising that Ursus duke's so-called terranitarian conduct during the war while denying the previous accusations against him. It's disgraceful. What happens to Kazimierz's dignity?"
"Lemm, you are more than qualified to serve as a Silverlance Pegasus, but if you wish to go further, you still have much to learn… Have you not noticed that the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi is deliberately shaping that Ursus duke into a conspicuous 'Ursus who is not quite Ursus'?"
"…"
"The Government is clever. They understand that Kazimierz cannot bear Ursus's wrath at present, even if that great bear is no longer what it once was. At the same time, Ursus cannot tolerate a duke with independent intentions, even if he is a long-lived being who has existed since the founding of the nation, its very founding father."
"But his standing among the people of Ursus is immense. I'm afraid…"
"That is why you still need to learn. At times, endurance is worn down little by little. The Government never expected this move alone to split Kashchey from Ursus. That would be unrealistic, and you should not assume everyone is a fool."
"…"
"However, only a dead eternal duke can become the best, most perfect, and most unassailable 'Founding Father' for Ursus as a whole… After all, who enjoys having an old relic constantly interfering from the sidelines?"
___
"…"
The injured Elafia girl, her body trembling, reached shakily for the door handle.
She desperately wanted to see what had become of her homeland.
But at that moment, an uninvited guest arrived.
"…"
Seeing the gentle-faced Phidia officer standing before her, flanked by two Shieldguards, the Elafia girl was overcome with fear.
Her body stiffened, frozen like a statue.
The psychological shadow left by that single, unremarkable punch was not something easily overcome.
"…Go back."
Kashchey regarded the Elafia girl calmly, the one who had dared to resist.
By all logic, the cautious Black Snake should have executed someone who had attempted to assassinate him.
She was neither an innocent child whose values could be easily reshaped, nor someone bound to him by misunderstanding.
Yet Duke Kashchey would not.
On one hand, her actions had caused him no real trouble. If anything, they had served as a sharp warning to those quietly harboring thoughts of resistance.
After all, if even a seemingly frail officer, one who looked as though he had never done manual labor and carried no tactical equipment beyond a simple uniform, possessed such strength…
Then the fully armed Shieldguards needed no further explanation.
On the other hand, the Black Snake intended to plant its "seeds" in the land of Kazimierz.
Do not misunderstand. Its power was not so abundant that it could be squandered at will.
But cultural erosion ran deeper than military occupation and left a far greater impact on the people.
Compared to plunder, this method yielded results far more slowly… yet the Black Snake was patient enough to wait.
To spare a single insect, to display mercy, to let the locals believe that there was another path besides resistance.
The Black Snake had no intention of swiftly conquering Kazimierz.
It intended to drag things out, to deliberately slow Ursus's campaigns… until failure in the eastern lands shattered the emperor's ambitions.
The Black Snake understood this clearly. Ursus had already reached the limits of its appetite.
The legacies of Gaul, Kazdel, and Sami had made Ursus vast and resource-rich, yet they had also weakened the great bear.
The emperor's vision was indeed sharp. He had keenly recognized the immense benefits of industrialization.
Even so, Ursus had reached its limit.
What Ursus needed now was to calm itself, to avoid burning everything away in endless war.
Thus, the Black Snake would preserve Ursus's strength as much as possible… advancing only within its means.
And so, it would begin with the slow "erosion" of Kazimierz.
Although rebuilding after destruction would be far simpler than gradually "replacing" things piece by piece, the knightly forces of Kazimierz were not to be underestimated.
At the very least, maintaining zero casualties while leading a legion was no easy task, even for the Black Snake.
___
"I deeply regret my previous actions…"
On the stage, the Elafia girl stood in shackles, her body wrapped in bandages, reading from a script in humiliation.
She had no choice.
That demon from Ursus had threatened to destroy her homeland if she refused.
She did not dare to gamble.
The Phidia officer had even thoughtfully ordered a Shieldguard to hold the script for this "immobile" failed "assassin," turning the pages for her.
There were fifty pages in total.
The villagers below quietly let out sighs of relief.
When they had been "invited" here by the Shieldguards, they thought they were about to be executed.
Instead, they were here to listen to the Elafia girl's declaration of apology.
Though it was filled with strange, contradictory rhetoric such as "Ursus terranitarian concern," "according to renowned historian Koshelna's research, this land has always been an inseparable and sacred territory of the Ursus Empire," and "civilizing the barbarians, integrating them into the empire, advancing together," the villagers, along with the captured Forest Ranger, still felt relieved.
At least, it seemed their lives were not in danger.
___
"…You're saying that under that duke's rule, your homeland was even better off than before?"
"Yes, Meteorite… but all of that was destroyed years later by Ursus once again."
"…My condolences."
"Have the Doctor, Amiya, and Dr. Kal'tsit approved our request?"
"Uh… Dr. Kal'tsit, you're here."
The Sarkaz woman with blonde hair and golden eyes, who had been cleaning her grenade launcher, quickly gestured to Firewatch.
As Firewatch turned around, a green-haired Feline woman in a surgical gown stepped through the door.
Kal'tsit had just finished a difficult operation. She had planned to rest for a moment, but upon seeing the request submitted by the Firewatch and Meteorite, she rushed over without even changing her clothes.
"…Dr. Kal'tsit."
"Rhodes Island does not restrict the personal freedom of its operators. The fact that you chose to inform us in advance and seek our opinion proves that you truly see yourselves as part of Rhodes Island… Firewatch, if I'm not mistaken, you wish to pursue the 'answer' behind the destruction of your homeland, correct?"
"…I already know why my homeland was destroyed."
"But you want to know more, don't you… For example, whether the operation that destroyed your home had the duke's tacit approval?"
"…"
"You are afraid. You are uncertain. And yet, you still hope…"
'Just like that Sarkaz mercenary, driven mad while chasing after illusions.'