Strath Royal Quarter (Hard)

Previous | Next

*After this area, only the castle will remain. You still have much on your mind, but are driven to keep going.*

## Summary

While Charles III and Krom discuss their defensive strategy, the Avillonians discuss Lord's impact in the balance of the world.

## Character List

### Major

* Krom Ledios (Water)
* Zaira (Fire)
* Lord of Avillon

### Minor

* Jac
* Emile
* Johan Talede (Light)
* Fram Berge (Water)
* Charlotte Grace (Earth)
* Schneider (Fire)
* Mei Ling Qiao (Light)
* Charles III
* Cesaire

## Content

Jac: Soldier, what was your family like growing up?

Emile: What do you mean?

Jac: How do you speak so effortlessly to someone so much your senior?

Emile: Oh, my family’s pretty outspoken. It’s why the people in my village always say I’ve got guts.

"Lord": I was moved by a lot of the things you said. Thank you for speaking out.

Emile: It’s all thanks to Your Highness and the knights. I only said what I really thought. Avillon seems quite unusual… Are there no laws that grant nobles special privileges or treatment?

"Lord": Nothing that gives privileges, no, but there technically are rules of etiquette that should be followed in the citadel. Of course, I can’t really be bothered with that sort of thing, so we largely ignore them. They’re only important in certain situations.

Emile: …You must be the reason Avillon’s people are so relaxed when it comes to social hierarchy.

"Lord": Well, there could never be a class or classes in Avillon with special privileges protected by law. The only thing higher positions bring with them is greater responsibility.

Johan: As knights, we are always trying to set a good example for others.

Fram: “We are the shield who protects our people, and the sword that fells our enemies! Let your loyalty be to the world, and your hearts with the people!”

Charlotte: Whoa, you memorized that, Fram?!

Fram: Of course! Highness told me that if I learned nothing else, I at least needed to learn that!

Charlotte: Still, I’m in awe and a bit of shock that you remember…!

Fram: Tch! I can be smart when I try!

"Lord": Glad to hear you till remember it, Fram. That’s really great.

Schneider: Ah, that’s what you say during the inauguration ceremony, isn’t it? I memorized it when I started to think I might become a knight!

Fram: Yeah, it’s somethin’ Highness came up with. You gotta recite it from memory during the ceremony.

Mei Ling: But why must knights’ loyalty be to the world, and not to their leader…?

"Lord": When loyalty is directed toward an individual, it’s easy for that person to change, often for the worse.

Charlotte: But you don’t seem like you’d have that problem, Highness.

"Lord": You never know. I could change, too. All I can do is try my best not to, or at least to change for the better.

Fram: But you’d still be you, right? I’d follow you no matter what.

"Lord": No, you never know. That’s why you shouldn’t follow me no matter what. I don’t want anyone to be blindly loyal to me. I mean, of course I’m grateful for your loyalty. I’m flatter, and it’s endearing… But you knights have to be able to judge people based on your own standards.

Fram: Uh huh…

"Lord": If I were to ever be brainwashed, or if someone forced me to make a bad decision…

Charlotte: Oh, you leave those people to me! I’ll get rid of them all!

"Lord": Thanks… But if something like that really were to happen, I might order you to do something terrible. Something like… slaying all the people in the village, or pitting them against each other for sport.

Fram: What?! B-but that would NEVER happen! Like, ever!

Johan: C-calm down, Lady Fram! [Their] Highness was only giving a hypothetical situation.

Charlotte: Highness, you’re worrying too much! Why would anything like that ever happen?

"Lord": There’s no guarantee that it won’t.

Charlotte: There’s no guarantee that it will, either. Do you think about this stuff all the time? My mom always said that the most useless thing you could do is worry about things that aren’t gonna happen.

"Lord": …Your mom’s a wise woman.

Mei Ling: I will do all in my power, my liege, to make sure such things never occur. If there is ever a hint that evil will encroach upon your fate, I will be the first [to] alert you.

Schneider: Your Highness! I understand what you are trying to say, but I agree with Lady Charlotte. I do not believe you will go astray or make wrong choices, because you never stop trying to make the right ones.

"Lord": You really think so?

Johan: Whatever path you walk, Your Highness, we will walk it with you.

"Lord": And I will continue to put my trust in you.

Emile: So… How soon can I become an Avillonian?

...

Charles III: You… lost? What do you mean, Krom?

Krom: I’m sorry… We were defeated. I failed in my duty.

Charles III: That doesn’t make sense! How could the captain of the Order of the Thorns, the strongest knight in Rhodon… How could you lose to those weak mongrels?!

Krom: I’m sorry.

Charles III: Tell me what happened, Krom! Why did you lose? If you don’t give me a good reason, I’ll run you through here and now!

Krom: They were stronger.

Charles III: What?!

Krom: They were stronger than I am, and stronger than the Order’s best knights.

Charles III: Stop spouting nonsense… You mean to tell me that knights from some tiny, fallen nation in the West are somehow stronger than Rhodon’s elite?

Krom: Yes.

Charles III: So, what…? Are we doomed now…?

Krom: No. I’ve devised a strategy for our defensive lines that will put an end to the invaders. Please, Your Majesty, give me the chance to make up for my failure.

Charles III: … Krom, I trust you more than anyone I know. More than any noble in the land, and more even than my own blood relatives.

Krom: …I know.

Charles III: And so I told you, didn’t I? Told you to bring me a victory. To not disappoint me, to protect me and Rhodon.

Krom: As the thorn that protects the blue rose, I vow to do just that.

Charles III: Leave, then, and go work on your defensive strategy.

Krom: I take my leave.

Charles III: …Everything I worked to establish is falling so easily. Was my castle built of so much sand? Or perhaps I went about it all in the wrong way…

Cesaire: … He’s not being as emotional about this as I expected… It seems he is soft with only that night captain. Should I strengthen the spell I cast on him…? Or should I force him to witness the knight captain’s death…? Heh heh… Maybe I need to ignite within him an even stronger emotional explosion, and inspire within him an even deeper despair…! …Oh, I must not get carried away. I almost started doing things entirely my way. The setbacks here have only been slight. Nothing in the greater plan has changed. As long as there is chaos and confusion in the West, its source doesn’t matter. Heh heh…

Zaira: …

Krom: Were you waiting for me, Vice-Captain?

Zaira: C-Captain! Are you okay?

Krom: Yes, save for my pride being wounded.

Zaira: I’m just glad you’re safe. Really…

Krom: A general who returns from battle safe but defeated is nothing more than a laughing stock.

Zaira: …

Krom: Having you here at least helps put my mind at ease, though. Thank you.

Zaira: That’s kind of you to say…

Krom: So, about the monarch of Avillon…

Zaira: Y-yes?

Krom: …No, never mind. [They’re] our enemy. That’s all we need to know.

Zaira: Still… What were you going to say?

Krom: … There was something strange about [them].

Zaira: I felt the same way.

Krom: [They] had a certain feeling about [them]. I’ve seen a lot of nobles and rulers in my day, but never one like [them].

Zaira: I couldn’t agree more.

Krom: I understood what you were talking about before, too. [They have] a way of confusing people with [their] words.

Zaira: That’s right! [They] tried to shake me down to my core when we spoke.

Krom: … Zaira.

Zaira: Yes?

Krom: What does it mean to you to treat someone like a person?

Zaira: Like a person…? I… don’t really understand. Aren’t we all people?

Krom: I suppose we are… One of the Rhodon soldiers who was siding with Avillon brought it up. He said the Avillonians treated him as a person.

Zaira: …

Krom: Does that mean I didn’t…?

Zaira: No, of course not. You were the only one who saw me as a person back when I was poor.

Krom: When I look at people, I look at their potential and capabilities.

Zaira: That’s right. It’s the fairest way to look at someone. I think it’s wonderful.

Krom: But then… If someone isn’t particularly talented… If they’re just average… Does that make them less of a person to me?

Zaira: … Y-you don’t take it that far, though! I mean, you treat everyone fairly, right?

Krom: … Maybe I don’t.

Zaira: …

Krom: Maybe I didn’t. I don’t know that I ever had any interest in regular soldiers or our people, at least no more than was…
Zaira: Captain.

Krom: …necessary.

Zaira: Captain, you seem very tired. I’ll take care of the knights and soldiers for now. You get some rest.

Krom: …You’re right. I need to rest.

Zaira: Don’t worry about things here. I’ll be bolstering the captial’s defenses.

Krom: I can always count on you, Zaira. Let’s talk again in the morning. And… thanks.

Zaira: It’s nothing. Rest easy. … …. The way Captain looks a people… … If I hadn’t been fit to be a knight… I’d probably still be a vagrant. … But so what? At least it’s better than judging someone because of their social status or the family they were born into! What did you do to him, Avillon…?

...

Johan: Your Highness, there is something I would like to ask.

"Lord": Speak freely.

Johan: Are you planning no recruiting all of Rhodon’s high-profile knights and other individuals?

"Lord": Yes, if possible.

Johan: I support you, but…their opposition will be fierce. They’re not going to be moved or grateful just because you’re not destroying their homeland.

"Lord": I know. No matter the reason, to them I’m nothing more than an invader.

Mei Ling: If their loyalties changed too easily, we wouldn’t be able to trust them. Have you thought of a plan, my liege?

"Lord": Trying to convince them of our cause will probably never work. They likely feel shame or resentment for being defeated, and possibly upset for having their beliefs challenged. They’re not going to join us for winning a war we started. Ad they’d never be loyal if we force them to join us. My plan is to talk to each of them individually. I’m going to put myself in a position of asking them for their help.

Mei Ling: Will that work…? Are you not worried it may weaken your authority as a monarch?

"Lord": The only part about being a monarch that I really like is that people are a little more willing to listen. I don’t want to use my position to exert authority, only as a tool to more easily approach others.

Mei Ling: That is definitely not how most rulers think… It is more akin to the approach of a merchant or ambassador. But that is also what makes you so worthy of your role, my liege.

"Lord": What’s… gotten into you…?

Mei Ling: I now understand as clear as day that true leadership is not derived from authority.

Fram: Can you maybe translate what you’re sayin’ so that we can understand it, too?

Mei Ling: Oh, it is something related to how I see the world. I was born in the neutral nation of Helvania, and I currently work as a shamaness for my people, the rabbitkin. I believe the balance between chaos and order is important However, my role is not one involved with worldly authorities. I am entirely unsure why i felt such a strong bond with Lord, but today I have learned of its meaning. [They are] the water. At times, water is strong and unyielding, while at other times it is calm and flowing. A stream may turn into a river that then flows into the ocean. The ocean water will become a cloud that rains on the land. The rain then once again forms a stream over the land.

Fram: Erm, sure…

Mei Ling: Water comes into contact with everything in the world, and it does so with everything it has, just like "Lord".

Schneider: Oh, I think I get what you’re saying!

Mei Ling: Such changes represent the flow of chaos. All things in the world are composed of chaos, which then find their own form of order. However, chaos is not something that can be thought of as evil; it is merely the opposite of order. These things cannot be judged using the standards of humans.

Charlotte: Oh, I hadn’t thought of that before… How interesting!

Mei Ling: Heh… In the same way, order cannot be thought of as good. Achieving complete order would mean the entire world would be frozen in place. There would be no change and no progress. It [is] the outcome that I fear the most.

Fram: Aha! I understood everything you just said!

Charlotte: …Somehow I doubt that.

Mei Ling: At some point in time, the scales of the world started leaning toward order, toward a fixed end… It makes me tremble to merely think about. However, your presence has caused ripples in the flow of the world, my liege. You are pure chaos. No matter what happens, it will steer us toward an end different from where we were going.

"Lord": …
Mei Ling: Now I understand the reason I was drawn away from my homeland.

"Lord": The bond you spoke of before?

Mei Ling: I may not consider order and chaos to be good and evil like most people do, but as someone who is part of this world, I do want it to be moving in a good direction. At the very least, I want more people to be able to find happiness. That can happen even in chaos. You are proof of that, because you are an agent of chaos, and are also full of goodness. I believe the path you forge will be one in which people can be happy.

Lord: …You’re being much too kind. I’m just doing what I think I should…

Mei Ling: And I would be overjoyed if you continue to do so. I hope you continue to act as a true monarch, so that you may change the end towards which this world is headed…

"Lord": …I hope I can do that, too.

...

Fram: Wow, all that’s left now is to head for Rhodon’s castle!

Charlotte: Now look at how much our forces have grown! We’re amazing!

"Lord": They’re all people from Rhodon…

Schneider: How rough were things here that so many would join us…?

Johan: They are all with us in the hope that the world will change. Do your shoulders not feel heavy, Your Highness?

"Lord": Why, you want to share the burden?

Johan: I-I mean, if I can…

"Lord": Heh heh. We’re going to change the world. I want to give these people hope. But before we do that, we have to get through the defensive lines at the castle. All of Rhodon’s finest will be waiting for us. You can’t let your guard down for a second. And… don’t die. If any of you do, I’m going to hold it against you for the rest of my life.

Johan: That’s even scarier than our enemies…

Charlotte: Psch, don’t you even worry about that! You got me, remember?

Fram: You be careful too, Highness! You never know where arrows’ll go flyin’.

"Lord": I’ll watch out. Now, it’s time to put the final puzzle piece in its place here.

...

Charles III: Report on the status of the capital’s fortifications.

Krom: Our preparations are complete. I swear to vanquish our foes.

Charles III: … …How many of them are there?

Krom: …Many thousands.

Charles III: I heard that most of them are defectors from Rhodon.

Krom: …Yes.

Charles III: Why…? What did Avillon do to bait them? Or was it a problem with my leadership…?

Krom: Please, stay calm. Too much anxiety may be of harm to Your Majesty’s health. The Order of the Thorns will put an end to our foes and return our people to their proper place.

Charles III: Mind that have been turned once will not be so easy to turn back… And when they have been turned en masse, it becomes even more difficult.

Krom: …

Charles III: At first, I was furious. I wanted to slaughter those who dared rebel against me. Worthless farmers, vile slaves… I considered them foul. But more and more people flocked to their cause, sympathetic and ready to help. That’s when I remembered something the late king taught me… That the king who doesn’t know the will of the people is no king at all, and not fit for the throne.

Krom: …

Charles III: It was as though a cloud had lifted from my mind… As though I had been possessed of something malicious.

Krom: Majesty… Are you all right?

Charles III: I don’t know. I… I… This isn’t the time to be thinking of such things! General Krom Ledios!

Krom: Command me, Your Majesty!

Charles III: Launch our final counteroffensive against our enemies! Protect Rhodon!

Krom: By your command!

 Previous | Next