With the war over, I soon found a startling lack of work to fill my days with. So, I decided it would be most productive for Miriel and I to be concentrating our efforts on technological developments. Our combined expertise helped move the various ongoing projects forward at a far more rapid pace than was possible before.

The remnants of Virion's academic circles had arrived sometime during the war, and the additional brainpower had been put to good use - I'm told that their team was the one responsible for the incendiary shells we tested during the final battle.

Unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately, depending on one's perspective - Emmeryn had yet to wake from her coma. Her attending clerics have not yet given up hope that she would wake back up, but they don't have any idea when that might happen.

Citing convenience and tradition, Miriel asked to move in with me a few weeks after our dinner. I saw no reason to decline, so we went ahead with it. With our newfound proximity, we ended up sharing meals with each other most days.

Given that Archanea was divided squarely between Regna Ferox and Ylisse, trade between the two states was at an all time high - with an increasing amount of Ylissean industry being used for state projects, many businesses began exporting their large-scale smithing work out to Regna Ferox. The increase in industrial activity also caused a notable spike in the trade of raw materials - metals in particular.

This trade boom was only helped by the signing of a tariff-free trade deal for most products between Ylisse and Regna Ferox. The imposition of anti-price-fixing laws kept the guilds from exploiting this for their own benefit. The standard of living for the average peasant rapidly rose as labour became in increasingly high demand to keep up with the increasing need for factory workers.

Soon enough, our developments in the fields of petrochemistry and electricity paid dividends. The first coal-fuelled power plant came online in Ylisstol a few months after the conclusion of the war. Regna Ferox followed with one of their own a number of weeks later.

Lightbulbs were at first considered a luxury item, but as our manufacturing capabilities improved, they became available to all but the poorest. Our lines of blacksmiths were soon optimized with more advanced machinery, allowing for more rapid and efficient production of goods.

An edited version of Laurent's binders were released to the general public once the first of our printing-presses were functional. This was an unpopular decision - especially among the guilds - as it allowed any old craftsman out in the boonies to make money hand over fist by undercutting the guilds selling the new products. The packets were edited to not contain any information on military or dimensional technology, so we weren't really showing our hand to enemy states. What this did allow, on the other hand, was a flourishing of private enterprises: no longer were guilds in complete control of their respective markets - they had to be competitive now.

By around twelve months after the end of the war, I estimated that we were roughly on par with the industrial capabilities of nineteenth century England. With the rapid technological revolution came the unprecedented flourishing of Ylissean and Feroxi society - quality of life was at an all-time high.

Things continued along these lines for some time; Miriel and I would dedicate our time developing new technologies, the production of those technologies would be outsourced to Ylissean or Feroxi companies, the increase in economic activity leads to rising wealth, rinse and repeat. On a personal level, things have settled into a sort of domestic bliss between Miriel and I. We haven't quite tied the knot officially just yet, but at this point it's pretty much just a formality.

The other Shepherds have not been idle, either. Gaius has teamed up with Frederick in training the next generation of Ylisse's Wet-workers - highly-skilled, technologically adept assassins, saboteurs, commandos and spies.

In addition to working with Gaius, Frederick has been dedicated to modernizing the Ylissean army, along with training tacticians and officers in the new way of things. He's had to consult with me frequently on that end, and has convinced me to write a treatise on the topic to assist with the training.

Sumia and Cordelia have been working closely with Phila in integrating the new technologies into the Pegasus knights. Last I heard, they had finally had success in getting the Pegasi used to being around firearms.

Sully and Stahl were now highly-decorated knights, thanks to their work during the war. With their newfound influence, they led the charge in modernising the rest of the knights. There was a significant amount of resistance from the traditionalist faction, but the naysayers have been diminishing lately.

Seeing the success of modern medical practices firsthand during the war, Libra had taken it upon himself to propagate the techniques throughout the clerical community wherever possible. There were many other like-minded clerics that had similar experience from the war, so, barring some traditionalist hold-outs, the new way of things was pretty much set.

Lon'qu and Olivia had returned to Khan Basilio's service soon after the conclusion of the war. Last I saw them, they were still valued retainers within Khan Basilio's staff.

Cherche had arrived with the rest of the Rosannite scholars, along with several other staff from Virion's house. She took to working with Virion to improve Ylisse's intelligence network. He's been working closely with his own former spymaster to build a comprehensive system of sources and agents spread across the continent. Of particular focus is Plegia - given the volatile nature of the region, the last thing we want are some traditionalist yahoos getting too big for their britches and trying something with a dark ritual.

While Tharja may have joined up because of her interest in me, she definitely stayed because of the great pay and operational freedom. She began working with Virion as a dark magic expert, and put together a team of other like-minded dark mages interested in making sure that Grima stays underground. They've been examining the remnants of Grima with the goal of developing a more permanent sealing solution. Conventional wisdom would dictate that death would be sufficient, but conventional wisdom does not exactly apply when working with eldritch gods.

Vaike had decided he wanted to see more of the continent, and had set out on a journey a few months after the war. He'd managed to talk Panne into coming with him. I haven't heard much of the two of late, but I'm sure they'll turn back up eventually.

Kellam had shacked up with Maribelle not too long after we got back, and the pair have been leading efforts to rebuild Themis. Things have been going well on that front, and the city it quickly becoming a major trading hub once more.

Chrom has been occupied running the country, and by all accounts he's doing a stellar job of it. Of course, he isn't exactly shy to ask my position on things, either. Strangely enough, he remains a bachelor - undoubtedly a result of the butterfly effect, but what could possibly have led to this result?

Through my influence of Chrom, I've been able to steer Ylisse away from some of the pitfalls that my own world had fallen into - monopolistic guilds, labourer exploitation by factory owners, excessively high taxation and protectionist economic policy being the most notable among them. Regna Ferox has been having issues with a few of these, but a few memos to Khan Basilio with some advice helped clear up the most egregious of the problems.

Lissa has been working with Libra, leading charitable healing missions out to remote communities. They've spent a lot of time running outreach programs in Plegia - where magical healing is at a much greater premium. From what I hear, they're very popular with the locals. Honestly, they've done a great deal towards abating negative sentiment towards Ylisseans among the average Plegian.

Currently, I was working on developing primitive logic circuits. The short-term goal was a simple calculator, but this would be the groundwork for the first computers. I was jumping the gun on this a little - most of the technology wasn't even fully developed yet - but the device would jumpstart a revolution.

Not that we aren't already in the midst of one. Or several, come to think of it.

I replace my soldering iron in the fire, allowing it to heat back up. I'd had to cludge the tool together myself, but it wasn't too much trouble - it was essentially just a pointed copper rod and a thick insulated handle. As I do so, however, there's a knock on the door to my workshop. I remove my work gloves, moving to open the door.

I'm greeted by Lissa, who's looking rather ragged. "Robin, come quick! Emmeryn has awoken!" Without waiting for a reply, she sprints off, presumably towards her sister.

Well. This is a bit of a wrench in my plans. I doubt Emmeryn will look kindly on the war or the current state of affairs in Plegia. If she were to resume the Exalted throne, and begin meddling in things… Or, worse yet, cease all military development.

I return to my workshop, swiftly packing everything away. I need to minimize the damage done here. If things don't work out favourably, I may need to relocate to Regna Ferox. We've got a hard time-limit here - we can't afford to indulge a pacifist.

Entering Emmeryn's chamber, I'm greeted by the rest of the Ylissean high command - Chrom, Frederick and Phila. Lissa is sitting on the side of Emmeryn's bed, hugging her sister tightly. Emmeryn is sitting upright, reciprocating Lissa's affection.

Immediately, I'm struck by how gaunt Emmeryn's face was. Not only that, but her frame was practically skeletal. Her skin looked papery, and was whiter than the pristine sheets she lay on.

She looked as if she would fall and shatter in as much as a light breeze.

Noticing my entrance, Emmeryn raised a questioning eyebrow. She looked to be about to say something , but Chrom cut her off. "Robin! Good, everyone's here." Seeing Emmeryn's mounting confusion, he explains "Robin is Ylisse's Lead Tactician. He's an integral part of high command."

Emmeryn's face takes on a darker tone. "Lead Tactician? Ylisse is a nation of peace - I left that position vacant for a reason. Just what have you been up to in my absence, brother?" You could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed. I noticed Frederick twitch ever so slightly - if you didn't know the man, you'd have missed it.

Chrom straightened, and with a perfectly level voice, replied "I'd thank you to not criticize me without knowing the context for my actions. Much has changed since you fell asleep, sister."

Emmeryn's tone became saccharine, and her face twisted into an ever-so-slight sneer. "Oh? Please indulge me, then."

Chrom exhaled, and he buried his head into his palm. "I can see that you're in one of your moods. I think it would be best if Lissa and I were to bring Emmeryn up to speed in private." Hearing the dismissal, Frederick, Phila and I all turned to leave. As I was leaving, Chrom stopped me. "Robin, I've been meaning to speak to you for a while now about something - lunch tomorrow?"

He formed the symbol for 'important' with his hand, hidden from Emmeryn's view. Understanding the message, I gave an affirmative, then departed from the room. That meeting will undoubtedly be about Emmeryn.

Returning to my workshop, I considered what I just witnessed. That was one hell of a spat - especially considering it was in front of colleagues. Since when have Chrom and Emmeryn been so hostile? She had just woken up, too!

From my read on Frederick, I'd say he's firmly on Chrom's side. Phila, however, is a bit more difficult. I haven't worked with her very much, but from what I could tell, she was pretty torn. Lissa looked to be horrified that her siblings were fighting at all.

What if there were a schism in the Ylissean leadership? Where would things fall? Chrom's got the backing of at least two of high command, and likely has the backing of the peasantry. Emmeryn, on the other hand, has the ability to win over Phila and Lissa at the very least. I've got no doubt that a few promises would get the support of the guilds, and she's already got a lot of friends among the nobility - a department that Chrom is lacking sorely in.

Chrom had repealed the law that allowed unilateral action by the other members of the Exalted family against the exalt a while back, so if Chrom stays in power, she'll be unable to do too much of anything legally. There's a serious chance of civil war if things go poorly here - despite her flaws, Emmeryn was still very popular. It would certainly be out of character for Emmeryn to go to such extremes, but I'm unwilling to discount the possibility.

While technically, the Exaltedness is meant to return to Emmeryn upon her awakening, the clause that gave Chrom the Exaltedness in the first place was intended to be used in cases that would last at most a few weeks - the law is unclear concerning cases where the Exalt is indisposed for a length of time approaching two years.


To say that Emmeryn was unhappy with the current state of affairs was a dire understatement. Even situated in a different wing of the castle, I had heard the shouting match between her and Chrom that had happened once she found out about the war. Despite her frail appearance, apparently she had enough energy to be shouting down a battle-hardened warrior.

I knocked on the door to Chrom's sunroom. It was time for our meeting. He answered with something that vaguely sounded like a 'come in', and I made my way inside. What greeted me was a shuttered room lit by a sole electric light, and Chrom cradling a brown bottle that almost certainly contained alcohol.

I sunk into the chair opposite him. Looks like I'll have to get lunch afterwards, then. "That bad, huh?"

Chrom let out a heavy breath, and took a swig of his drink. "Worse." Seeing that he was about to go for another, I pried the bottle from his grasp. He didn't protest, but sunk into his chair like a scolded child.

"Fill me in. Where's she at?"

"Angry."

Seeing that he wasn't about to elaborate, I frowned. "I guessed that much from your shouting match. I could hear it from my workshop - I'll be surprised if there isn't a single person in the city who hasn't heard about it by the end of the month." I spied the stopper for the bottle laying under the table, and recorked the bottle without ado.

Chrom deflated even further at that. "I mean, I expected her to be angry. But she doesn't even care that what we did was justified."

"What did she say about our military developments?"

"We didn't even get to talk about that. She demanded I step down from my position."

I cradle my forehead in my hands. This was a complete mess. "I'm barely even surprised. You're not planning on doing it, are you?"

He shook his head. "No. I mean, I considered it for a time - if only to repair my relationship with her. But there's more important things on the line here. And, well, Emm and I have been butting heads for years now."

"You think this will just go away if we ignore her?"

"If only. No, this is something that she'll hold onto."

I stood up, going about reopening the shutters. It was a great day outside, and some fresh air is bound to help. "Alright. Plan of action - how are we going to minimize damage?"

Chrom begins to perk up, but the daylight only highlights how drained he looks. "You have an idea, then?"

"Right now? No. But I'm thinking of one." Assassination is out of the picture - even if I could pull it off without revealing who was behind it to Chrom, all we'd have then is a martyr; Emmeryn would no doubt begin agitating before I could get everything together. How about a smear campaign? No, that would cast the entire administration in a bad light by association. "At the core of things, we want to minimize the influence that Emmeryn has. That means going after her allies, and the people she can easily sway to her side."

Chrom nods in agreement. "I see where you're going. Who do you have in mind?"

"We've done a lot to diminish the influence of the guilds already - finish them off, and the new mercantile class will be firmly on our side. The focus of our attention, however, should be the nobility. Emmeryn has close friends in high places - if we make the nobility irrelevant to politics, her influence among them will be worthless to her. The third faction we may have to deal with is the Church of Naga. Dismantling the it in entirety would likely do more damage to you than her, so separating them from all matters of state will have to suffice."

Frowning, Chrom hums in contemplation. "You're proposing some drastic changes to the current way of things. How do we know such a system would even work? And if not the nobility, who would be able to handle matters of government on a provincial level?"

I smile, having led Chrom to exactly where I wanted him. "It just so happens that my homeland has done away with all three factions almost entirely. It was for the betterment of the everyman - you remember the standard of living I've described to you? This was a major stepping-stone on the road towards that. As for the second, I believe a representative democracy on a provincial level would work best."

While a representative democracy on a federal level would be theoretically superior, there's pretty much no way I'd be able to convince Chrom of the merits of such a system. Besides, the system we have now works well enough, and I've no intentions of accidentally ousting myself from my position of power until the enemy Laurent described has been dealt with. Having principals is all well and good, but sometimes they must be abandoned temporarily to deal with a greater threat.

Coming to a decision, Chrom nods to himself. "Write up a plan of action. Get it to me, and I'll set about implementing it. Truly, thank you for this, Robin. I don't know what I'd do without you." He extends a hand, and I take it. He pulls me into a one-armed hug, patting me on the back.


Miriel and I had the basics of the plan devised and delivered by the end of the day. We quickly fell back into older habits, and working together we were able to draft it very quickly. By the week's end, we had a complete plan filled with contingencies and counter-stratagems all dedicated to diminishing Emmeryn's influence.

Thankfully, Emmeryn was still very much confined to her bed for the time being, so her ability to agitate was limited. But, she had already hosted meetings with a number of the nobility. Whether they were simply friendly catch-ups or insurrectionist planning sessions is unknown, but it's best to assume the worst.

The guilds - who were already in a perilous position - were the first faction to fall. Under the guise of legislation aimed towards economic stimulation and anti-monopolisation laws, we removed much of the legal authority the guilds had. Now, they were nothing more than well-established corporations and trade unions. The guilds were howling the entire way, but nobody payed them much mind - the open market had already proven itself many times over.

The Church of Naga was the next to go. Already, they only held a tenuous amount of influence in matters of state, but new legislation removed the last vestiges of authority. There was a bit of grumbling, but the fact that Chrom was credited with vanquished the Church's only competitor on the continent gave him quite a bit of leeway with the higher-ups.

The nobility, however, was a different story. The entire system of provincial governance was practically based on the noble houses - prying them out of things would either be an extremely bloody or painfully slow process. I doubted Chrom would be comfortable with the first, so it was up to Miriel and I to devise a concise way to remove them from power. Were it up to me, I'd simply throw the lot of them at Walhart, hoping enough died to warrant a new system, but that's simply not an option.

Instead, we're planning on gradually wearing away at their powers, and transferring them to elected public officials. We'll start small, working our way upwards until the noble class are simply very rich and connected socialites. Hopefully some clever marketing will convince a few of them to take up venture capitalism or philanthropy as well.


For the most part, things went according to plan - Emmeryn found herself without meaningful allies in the guilds and the Church, and the influence of the nobility in policy was steadily declining. Mind you, the Nobility were kicking and screaming every step of the way, but Chrom being wildly popular among the military, mercantile class, and peasantry meant they had few allies to able to help them do anything about it.

In the nobility's place was a budding representative democracy - they only had as much power as the Nobility once had, but it allowed the peasantry influence on local matters. Of course, this only made Chrom even more popular among the peasantry - some even hailed him as a saint, despite his relative lack of piety.

A clamour attracted my attention - it seems that the test is about to begin. Military development had continued despite Emmeryn's protests, and high-powered artillery cannons were now going through a rigorous testing phase. The viewing platform was situated at the top of a hill overlooking an empty field some ways away from Ylisstol. There was no major roads or hunting spots near this area, so the risk of accidentally hitting someone was minimal.

At one end of the field was the cannon - fitted with a massive five-meter long barrel, it fired three-hundred millimetre, three-hundred and forty kilogram high-explosive rounds. It was large enough to require a crew of twelve to fire at its maximum rate - this time there will only be a single firing, so only four were present.

The gun was an almost direct reproduction of the British twelve-inch howitzer used in world-war one - in essence, it was a very big gun - one that will make whatever poor bastard it hits sorry they ever crawled out of whatever hole they came from. The target for this exercise was a condemned garrison situated on the opposite side of the field - some eight kilometres away.

I tore my view from the cannon - it seemed they weren't quite ready yet. Looking about the platform, I notice a new arrival making her way towards me.

It was Emmeryn - who was ignoring the natterings of her medical attendant. While her health had made strides since she had awoken, she still required a cane to get around. She sits on the chair next to me without ceremony and, seemingly coming to her patience's end, she dismisses her attendants.

I turn towards her, raising an eyebrow. What was she doing here?

"Forgive me, Robin. I've been meaning to have a discussion with you for some time now. I was planning on attending one of these demonstrations at some point anyway, so I figured I would do the both at once."

"No, it's fine. What were you wanting to-" A din distracted the both of us. I turned to the cannon and noticed that the signalling flag had been raised. "Never mind that, the test is starting." I direct her attention towards the fort and the cannon.

I leaned in, anticipating the firing. Emmeryn seemed somewhat uninterested - perhaps she didn't know what was about to happen?

As the moments passed, the tension in air of the viewing platform mounted. This wasn't the first time this design had been tested - two men had lost their lives, and six had been injured on that occasion due a particularly catastrophic failure. There hadn't been another accident that resulted in death in the two tests that had happened since, but the possibility was ever-present.

All of a sudden, there was resounding boom as the cannon fired. Emmeryn jumped in her seat, not expecting the noise. The shell flew through the air with a distinct whistle, and collided with it's target, detonating in a glorious explosion. The derelict fort was no more - though it was obscured by a cloud of dust, there was no way for it to be still intact after that.

Around us, the scientists erupted into cheers - a success! Despite myself, a wide grin broke onto my face. These cannons will form an impenetrable coastal defense for Ylisse and Regna Ferox: even two stationed in a port city would deter any would-be invader - lest they wish to advance through ten kilometres of open ocean suffering under a continued barrage of fire.

Beside me, Emmeryn seemed to have paled at the display. Her jaw was agape, unbelieving.

Seeing that she would need some time to process what she had seen, I moved to give the scientists congratulations. They took the praise graciously, and departed the platform to inspect the cannon and fort soon after.

I turned back to Emmeryn, only to find her marching towards me, anxiety etched deeply upon her face. "What in the nine hells was that?!"

Internally, I sigh - a hysterical Emmeryn is not something I want to deal with. "That, was a siege cannon. It propels explosive steel projectiles at a speed greater than that of sound into its target. As was just demonstrated, it is extremely effective at what it does."

She sputtered "Effective?! You just levelled a fort from across an empty plain without so much as a single man going near the thing!"

"I am aware. As I said, it is very effective at what it does." She began pacing back and forth, leaning heavily into her cane. She was very clearly in a great deal of distress, but I'm really not seeing what's so distressing. "This is how we waged war back in my world. If we want security, Ylisse must be strong, else others will seek to take what we have from us."

Suddenly, she stopped. She slowly turned to me, primal fear visible in her eyes. "You mean that thing isn't one of a kind?" she spat.

I scratched my head in puzzlement. Why on Earth was she under the impression that it was? "No - not at all. Guns similar to these dotted the shores and forts of my homeland. I intend to achieve a similar thing here in Archanea."

She let out a squeak of abject terror, then collapsed into a chair. She held her head in her hands, muttering inaudibly. Leaving her to her thoughts, I moved to depart the platform.

Behind me, Emmeryn calls out. "You are an evil man, Robin. I hope you understand that."

I smile. While I hadn't expected her to insult me so, I had certainly prepared for it. "Oh, didn't you know? Good and evil are simply matters of perspective. Perhaps from another's perspective, it is you who is evil." With that parting shot, I left the platform. After all, I wanted to see the effect the test had on the cannon.

While that line may have been a bit of a cliche back in my world, it should be rather novel to Emmeryn. Hopefully it'll give her some pause before she goes about working against me.


The cannons - along with several smaller variants suitable for use as field guns - were ready for widespread deployment a few months after the test Emmeryn and I viewed. I haven't been approached by her since then, nor have I sought her out. Chatter from the palace servants tell me that she has been secluding herself to her private rooms.

If she wants to hide away from the world, all the better - there's little chance of her interfering with things that way.

Soon enough, lucrative production contracts for the cannons were being signed, and they were being installed along the western coast. This particular project was a joint Ylissean-Feroxi venture, so both countries were enjoying the benefits.

Before the year was out, the entire western coast and several other key maritime locations had been heavily fortified. Our intelligence suggested that Valm was looking to Archanea as it's next conquest, so nobody was willing to skimp on defenses.

Of course, this is fairly in-line with the timeline of the games - I had been somewhat hopeful that the decisive end to the war with Plegia may warn Walhart off, but that seems to not have been the case.

The first prototypes of steam locomotives are also going through their own testing phase currently. Already, railways are being constructed between key industrial and economic centres. If all goes well, we'll have trains running within the next few months - the advancement in transportation would do wonders for the economy and our industry both.

The lack of infrastructure in the transportation department has given us troubles in the past - the coastal guns had to be transported in many pieces on heavy carriages drawn by many horses, then assembled on-site.

As far as our own naval capabilities go, ironclads are being developed in the extensive Plegian shipyards. The local population was extremely happy to be the recipients of the contract, but honestly, there aren't too many other options for us. While deployment is still some time out, I'm told things are progressing nicely.

On an infantry level, our kit has progressed nicely. We've developed many of the explosives that were available in the first world-war; grenades, dynamite and mines most notably. While these aren't something we're planning on equipping every soldier with, they'll be powerful tools in the arsenal of our special forces.


Valm has invaded.

Though, I'd probably use the term lightly - they failed to even make it to the shoreline before they were annihilated completely. Our cannons had held their fire until the ships were about four kilometres away - both to completely and utterly ensure that there would be no escape, and to disguise the extent of our cannon's range.

As far as our response to the attack, a full-scale invasion simply isn't in the cards. Ylisse's treasury has been drained from the extensive technological developments, relatively low taxes, in addition to the previous war with Plegia. While we're nowhere near an economic collapse, funding an invasion would take funds away from other vital projects - potentially putting us back years.

That doesn't mean we're not going to respond, however - I haven't forgotten my promise to Virion to help free his homeland. Instead, we'll be sending our agents to destabilize the region - incite and train guerillas, raid Valmese military strong points, destroy key strategic resources, assassinate key personnel - and so on.

The Valmese empire is already on the brink of shattering. Hopefully our meddling will push things over the edge. Already, we've got almost a thousand agents ready to send over - many are commandos trained for long missions without chance of reinforcement, but some are purpose-trained saboteurs and assassins.

Some of the Shepherds will be going too - Gaius, Virion, Panne, Vaike, Cherche and Cordelia have already signed up. I'm under the impression that Virion plans on stoking the local resistance present in Rosanne. I'm sure they'll have many stories to tell when the get back, but I'm going to be staying here in Ylisse - I'm simply too central to administering our technological developments.

I'm drawn from my thoughts by a knock at the workshop door. I set aside the designs I was examining to answer. I'm greeted by Miriel. Confused, I look out the window - it couldn't be time for lunch yet, could it?

Seeing my confusion, she explains "The Shepherds headed to Valm are departing today. I suspected you had forgotten."

"That's today? Crap." I hurriedly set about packing everything away. "Thanks. I would have hated to miss seeing Virion off." Finishing up, we make our way to the gates of the palace.

Seeing us, Virion calls out "Robin!"

He greets us with a smile, and I extend a hand. "Virion. Don't have too much fun with the local wenches, hey?" He grasps it, and I pull him into a one-armed hug.

"Hah! You obviously don't know me well enough, friend!" His face takes on a cheeky grin, and he pulls me to the side, talking in a low tone. "You better hurry up and make it official between you and Miriel - I either want to come back to an invitation to your wedding, or stories about how great it was!"

Seeing an opportunity, the slightest curl of a smile works its way onto my face. "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that."

"Hmm? And why's that?"

Grinning fully now "Well, I'm far more concerned that my dear friend will never find that special someone to settle down with!"

Feigning injury, he clasps his chest dramatically "You wound me so, Robin! Have you no faith?" I burst into light-hearted laughter at his display, and he follows soon after.

Calming down, Virion's face takes on a serious expression. "I'm going to miss our little chats over tea. Alas, this is work that must be done, and I trust that you'll be able to provide us with excellent support from the home front."

"You can count on it. After all, who else am I going to get tea from? Stay safe, Virion."

"Hah! Rest assured, I intend on coming through this alive - I've got a country to run, after all."

Bidding our farewells, I move to say goodbye with the other Shepherds. We exchange pleasantries, and soon enough, the caravan has departed.


The trip to Valm took several months, even with fair conditions. We didn't receive the first report until nearly eight months after our forces had began to depart. Each month, we would receive another report updating us on the situation. We would send the messenger back with another load of supplies - explosives, mostly. Of course, appropriate measures were taken to prevent an accidental detonation.

Things were tough for them at first - finding a base of operations somewhere along the coast was the first priority. They had ended up deciding on an unsettled bay that featured an abandoned mine dug into a nearby hill.

However, with the base established, things began going much smoother. Commando raids were launched with success beyond their wildest expectations - a single team of four had demolished an entire citadel thanks to liberal use of dynamite.

A plethora of assassinations against key Valmese personnel were conducted; mines, sniper rifles and creative use of dynamite were the weapons of choice. I'm told that the possibility of their general suddenly exploding at any moment was quite the morale drain among the Valmese regulars.

Sabotage was also utilised extensively - Valm soon found their horse population in a steep decline thanks to widespread poisoning of feed. Not only that, but mines of valuable metals were collapsed, leading to costly and time-consuming delays on equipment.

The local populations were successfully incited to guerilla warfare, and soon enough, Valm found that it was rapidly losing control of all of its non-core territories. Worse yet, they couldn't even trust their own soldiers - our infiltrators had a knack for compromising things at the worst possible moment: barracks were demolished on the eve of a major operation while the soldiers slept, mission-critical supplies were inexplicably found in the hands the rebels and skilled leaders were murdered in their sleep.

In all, it was a bad time to be Walhart. Our agents haven't yet managed to orchestrate his demise, but Pheros and Excellus had been removed early on in the game. The source of Excellus' teleportation - a magical ring - had been recovered, and was being shipped to us for examination.

On the home front, our developments have picked up pace considerably due to the completion of rail-lines between our industrial centres. By my estimates, we're approaching world-war one levels of technology across the board. Radio is still in the development phase currently, but once it's ready the exchange of information across the continent will start to pick up considerably.

Already, we're seeing a population boom; with the rising levels of wealth families can afford to feed more mouths. Combined with the advanced medical techniques propagating throughout the clerical community infant mortality has seen a notable decline, leading to a dramatic uptick of successful births.

Also in the developmental phase is the combustion engine - once our techs get the hang of it, we'll start to see early automobiles enter into the testing phase. Also with the advances in engine technology, we'll start to be able to look at flight - if we can get something like a b-seventeen within the next year or two, we'll be able to very effectively project power into Valm.

Looking at the chemical side of things, Magister Quinlan and his teams have made great strides - already we have access to advanced polymers and other complex synthetic materials. With the relative lack of other pressing work, he's turned his attention towards a nuclear program. While our initial estimates deemed that this was a goal not achievable with any amount of expediency, Laurent's packages have changed that assessment dramatically.

Quinlan's most optimistic estimates are four months for the first reactor, and six months for the first bomb. Frankly, I think those are a touch too generous, but his more realistic estimates seem much more in line - nine and fifteen months respectively.

While the empty Plegian desert may seem like a good site for the reactor, I'm leaning more towards nuclear test site - no use putting an extremely valuable strategic resource within the potential reach of a theoretical resurgent Grimleal.

On that front, things have been quiet. Tharja has taken over expanding the information network in Virion's place - it's not what I would have pegged her to be interested in doing, but she seems capable enough. While there has been the odd die-hard fanatic we've had to take care of, it seems that our initial strikes effectively destroyed the Grimleal.

A sharp rap on my door pulls me out of my reverie. I consult my watch - five-forty. Too early for Miriel to be home, then. I set aside the book I had been trying to read, and move to answer.

I'm greeted by Emmeryn. She no longer carried a cane, no was accompanied by any medical personnel. Honestly, she looked just fine - it seems she's made a full recovery, then. While I should be happy for her, our last interaction had ended rather poorly, and we haven't spoken in several months.

I lean into the doorframe, the door only slightly ajar and blocking her view into my apartment. I raise an eyebrow at her, expectantly.

She swallows stiffly. "I'm sorry."

I suppress a wicked smile. "Sorry for what, precisely?"

"I… I shouldn't have said the things I did last we spoke. To be perfectly honest, I was somewhat terrified of the entire situation. I… I overreacted." She bowed her head. From my read of her, she was being entirely sincere.

"Apology accepted. If I might ask, what changed your mind? Or do you still think of me as evil?"

Horrified, she gasps "No! Not at all!" She lets out a steadying breath. "I've done a lot of thinking over the past few months. That, and I've taken a trip through the country. Ylisse is the most prosperous it has ever been - and we have you to thank for it. People everywhere are happier than ever - and Ylisse is waging war on a foreign power as we speak! That made me think hard about… well, everything."

Internally, my train of thought is completely derailed. Did I really manage to get through to Emmeryn? That's… completely unexpected, actually. I had expected her to hold fast onto her extreme pacifism until to her dying breath.

She continues "As much as it pained me to admit it to myself, I think your idea of 'peace through overwhelming power' has merit." She chuckles, self deprecatingly "Some leader I am, huh?"

"I wouldn't stress too much about it. You managed to pull Ylisse from the brink of collapse after your father badly over-extended the country. That's not nothing - be proud of that, if nothing else."

She perked up at this "Thanks, Robin. For being so understanding." She lets out a sigh. "I've got a few more apologies to make. Perhaps we'll speak again sometime soon?"

"Sure. Good luck with things."


We received confirmation of Walhart's death a few months later. Apparently, he'd become immensely paranoid - for good reason, too. However, his stronghold was no match for a platoon of determined commandos with more dynamite than self-preservation.

Despite the long odds, they made it out of there with only minimal losses, and with Walhart's death, his empire shattered. Virion stepped up to fill the power vacuum, and Rosanne went from a tiny dukedom to the larged power on the continent almost overnight.

Apparently, having close ties with the leaders of the country responsible for liberating the continent convinced many of the leaderless smaller powers to acquiesce to his rule. The other major powers were Chon'sin - whom Yen'fay still ruled - and the Valmese remnants - core territories that had joined Valm decades ago.

The Valmese remnants, despite occupying a fertile and mineral rich area, was a paper tiger of an empire - it was now led by a simpering man who lacked any sort of ambition. Even if they had someone with drive on the throne, they would be in no position to cause any trouble - almost all strategic resources had been thoroughly sabotaged by the end of things.

As far as Chon'sin goes, they had snapped up many of the fiefdoms that had been held by smaller feudal lords. Currently, the country is in the throes of a famine caused by severe drought, so immediate action was unlikely on their end.

There were also a number of smaller powers on the continent - mostly countries that had either retained or reclaimed their independence. Even taken collectively, they wouldn't qualify as a major power.

We've sent a shipment of radio gear along with some techs to get things set up in Rosanne. With the country's new coastal territory, we now have a solid candidate for a trading partner on the Valmese continent. There are plans being drafted up to introduce Rosanne to the economic, scientific and military deals that had been signed between Ylisse and Regna Ferox. While we haven't proposed their inclusion to the Khans yet, Chrom is confident they'll jump at the opportunity.

The construction of Quinlan's reactor is going along very well. It's positioned deep in the wilderness to the east of Ylisstol. His latest estimates are another two months until it'll be ready to use. His teams have been very thoroughly studying the documentation Laurent provided in the meantime. They're confident that they've got the hang of things.

Other teams have been working on the litany of other gear that's necessary for safe nuclear operations. I've been told that all's going according to schedule, and that the primitive computer I had made some months ago proved extremely useful in their understanding of the machines.

Hopefully, we'll start to see their widespread development in the near future.

On the dimensional technology front, Miriel and I have finally made our way through Laurent's binders in entirety. Our understanding is still developing, but we've got the basics.

As far as our alternate selves could tell, reality exists within a thirty-seventh dimensional array, with each cell of the array containing a dimension entirely separate from its neighbors. Things like the physical and magical planes in this reality were present within the same cell.

In between the cells was what was referred to as 'non-existence'. Essentially, a non-place where the concepts of time, space, reality, distance, speed, mass, energy and so on did not exist. Of course, this fact muddies the concept of 'adjacency' between cells of the array immensely - after all, if neither space or distance existed between cells, then travelling between non-adjacent cells should be theoretically indistinguishable from travelling between adjacent cells.

But that's somewhat irrelevant at this point. Travelling between cells requires one to create a bridge of reality across the non-reality. The means by which one achieves this phenomenon is a nastily complex piece of thirty-seventh dimensional mathemagic.

That is to say, the method by which our alternate selves managed to cross between dimensions was a magical device that required both immense amounts of power, and a devilish level of precision - precision that we could only reasonably achieve with a computer.

There's still a lot we don't understand yet, obviously, but it's something that we've been steadily chipping away at for a long time now. A functional device is a long way off at this point - hell, even a prototype is far out of our reach.

But, we're working at it. There've been many warnings spread across the binder about improper use of dimensional technology - contaminating the non-reality with reality is something that we've been told is particularly bad news.

The binder didn't go over specifics, but there's almost certainly very big fish out there - we don't want to go making a splash.