Liberi Reader

My brothers and sisters, are you okay?!

It's good to see all of you in one piece.

...Man, was that battle not a disaster.

Thank you, Yeti Squad. It's a pleasure to lead the fight with all of you.

The pleasure is ours, Talulah. We all think it's very reassuring to fight alongside you. We make a good match. Now I can see why FrostNova trusted you to lead our squad.

What's more, the way you use your Arts is getting more ingenious by the day. Blasting flames through the cold air, and detonating that? I don't think I could've come up with that one.

Well... those weren't exactly flames. It's hard to explain, so I'll spare you the details.

I'm sure FrostNova can rest easy knowing she doesn't have to look out for us all the time anymore.

So, do you think we'll come across any more of those Ursus scum here?

Well, this is one of the cities Ursus was planning on dismantling three years ago.

The troops here managed to take over the city, probably thanks to corruption or some equally dirty work... As for the original residents... probably either enslaved or driven out.

They didn't stand a chance against us, at the very least.

They aren't as weak as you're making them out to be.

Just relatively speaking. Compared to the regular Ursus Army, at least. It's not like Patriot has let you fight any battles that difficult.

No, he hasn't. It's true. He didn't think we could handle it. But I think we are more than up to the task now, with how well we're getting on.

I'm not so sure about that. The real Ursus Army is on a whole other level. This detachment lacks discipline and training... I'm guessing they might not even be technically organized.

And we just barely had a leg up over these guys because of our tactical planning.

...So you're saying we've got nothing to celebrate?

No, far from it. We have all the resources we need to survive now.

We really needed these supplies. Without them, we won't make it through the winter.

Besides, the nomadic city may be old and run-down, maybe even too small, but...

It's big enough for us.

None of us have ever been on a nomadic city before.

Talulah!

What's the matter?

You're... one of the Infected from the Earcurl village... if my memory serves me correctly.

We've got a pretty big team ourselves! At the very least, we're no smaller than you guerrillas.

Well, you're almost there. I'm not exactly part of the guerrilla force.

We still definitely had more men in this fight than you.

...So? What do you want from me?

Let's go our own ways here, Talulah.

You serious?

We've fought plenty of battles with you people, and we've taken the shirt off our backs for you way more than I can count.

You can take half of the resources in the city. Hell, take more than that.

Just let us keep the city.

With the city... we could go anywhere. We could be anywhere in the tundra. The Patrol Unit and the Ursus troops will never find us.

So you are saying you don't want to fight anymore?

We'll die.

We're... We're all a little...

The enemy... They're getting stronger and stronger.

These people aren't even on the same level as any of the contingents that Patriot's guerrilla squads have faced.

But we can't do it!

Talulah, you aren't going to deny us even this, are you?

Okay, what are you people talking about now?

The Yeti...!

...You coldhearted monsters wouldn't understand! Death means nothing to you, not like the rest of us...!

You—

(Waves Petrova down)

Talulah...

We'll get the supplies out right away. The city is yours to keep.

That's good to hear...

But I won't stand for any insult to our fighters. Apologize to the Yetis right now.

......

Ahem... Sorry.

That will do, right?

Petrova, gather your men. We need to itemize the supplies.

(Also, turn on the Ursus comms terminal we captured.)

(You don't mean...)

(They know Patriot's guerrilla squad isn't around.)

Where are you going?

Mr. Patriot? We were just about to rendezvous with you.

You handed the city to those folks?

Looks like you got my message already.

—What these people are doing is nothing short of betrayal. Your permission has given them the justification they wanted. You destroyed the order here.

The moment they asked to be let go, I wasn't going to be able to keep them.

Those who lack conviction and willpower shouldn't wage war. Not now, not ever.

If we go by your logic, no one was born with the right to set foot on the battlefield in the first place.

Discipline is everything.

Kill them, and take the city back. You owe your team and your people this.

So that they know the Infected will kill a bunch of helpless people with their backs against the wall and grease the wheels with their blood, all for a run-down city?

They have contravened our discipline.

None ever fought for discipline to begin with.

It has been four years since we first met. In all this time, not once have I given you an order. I either tolerated your presence there on the battlefield or refused to work with you.

I really can't know if you have matured or gone soft in that time.

All because I don't agree with you?

Summon the rest of the Infected and tell them they've betrayed the manifesto. Have them executed immediately.

You must make an example of their transgression.

I can't do that.

I can see you are hesitating. You are hesitating because they, too, are Infected.

Is it because you think this is dishonorable?

You loathe killing, and you don't care for power. That's not a bad thing. But then you need someone to do the dirty work for you.

I'll let you know I'm not afraid of doing this, and I don't dare to claim I have the moral high ground over anyone either.

In that case, the guerrillas and I will get it done.

If you refuse to take up arms against them, the guerrillas will clean up the mess.

What is that expression? You can't possibly think I am the honest and noble man everyone makes me out to be?

Someone like that would've been dead long before the fighting even began.

What's honorable besides reigning victorious and safeguarding the fruits of victory? Triumphing over the enemies you loathe in battle is by its very nature an honor, but that doesn't mean I take pride in my sacrifices.

If a decision leads to victory and fewer dead comrades, then that's the right decision to make.

This city is already on its last legs. It's likely been in service for much longer than it was intended. It's not going to last another three years.

Both you and I know that they are doomed to be stranded in the tundra. They'll still have to find a way out in the end. But, with the city, they bought themselves a tiny bit of hope, even if it's just for those three years.

I'm not going to crush that hope of theirs.

You're fine seeing your team get torn into two?

No. I already told you... they were never on the same team as us to begin with.

I'm not going to give you the 'the weak cannot go to battle' excuse you've been giving me. All I'm saying is not everyone thinks the same way we do.

We'll have many people join our ranks. But not all of them are working towards the same goal as we are.

We're just borrowing their strength. We aren't exploiting it. If we forced them to do our bidding, we would only be making them work against their own goals.

And that's how you get them to actually start doubting each other and feel alienated.

......

All for the sake of unit purity, is it?

If that's what you want to call it. I'm not sure I'd describe it like that, though.

If nothing else, I can tell you are a righteous person.

There's a unit stationed nearby guarding the trade route, and they're much better trained. You know things are bound to go wrong.

I don't want to admit it, but you're right. They just might do that, so we'll prepare for that.

The Yetis... intercepted the message already.

You're right. The nomadic city sent a message out. They tipped off the Ursus troops in the area our location.

...They want to draw the Ursus Army's attention to us.

No one wanted this battle to happen.

Their foolishness will slowly lead them to destruction.