Part Six

With twenty-four soldiers stationed with the city guards, Daunte was nervous that it wouldn't be enough to protect Uaminifu. In the end, however, he knew it was better than nothing. And to his shock he found himself with at least two thousand volunteers for the Liberation Army, men and women of all ages.

This was definitely a victory. I don't like that 100 people died, but it could've been far worse. And I'm bringing back volunteers who joined because they believe in our cause, and not because I had to bribe them.

Daunte wanted to take an opportunity to personally go into Uaminifu and find more volunteers, but Gunther quickly squashed that idea.

"Daunte, we gotta get our injured back to headquarters as soon as possible," he told Daunte. "And then there's the whole matter of that High Cleric. The fact that he appeared during the battle shows that the High Clerics did not go on recess as they were scheduled to do. Our Army is going to need our help."

Daunte nodded his head in agreement and smiled. "We have enough volunteers to have a standing army again. I'm sure Lord Bearyl will be pleased with this good news."

Gunther's smile twitched, but he said nothing. "We'll draw far too much attention if we march like this. We should have Viki teleport us back to headquarters. Plus, it will allow for our injured to be seen to much faster."

"I agree." Daunte went looking for Viki, and thankfully it didn't take long to find her. She was standing stationary by herself, fiddling with her nose plug uncomfortably. He felt sorry for her standing alone, but he caught a conversation from one of the volunteers that gave him pause.

"She took that nose plug off for a moment, and one of the horses gave her such a spook that she sneezed—and the bloody horse disappeared! We still haven't found it!"

Then he saw some reasoning as to why people were leaving Viki alone. But he made sure to approach her front the front and to not startle her. "Viki?"

"Oh, Lord Daunte." Viki smiled brightly at him. "Can I help you?"

"Would you mind teleporting all of us back to headquarters?"

"I-I will give it my best! I'm better at teleporting smaller groups than this, but so long as everyone concentrates—and so long as I stay concentrated—then all of us should arrive just fine!"

"Thank you, Viki." Daunte looked out over the crowd and realized that it would be difficult to get everyone's attention at once. He signaled to Sharon. "Can you get their attention for me, please?"

"Sure," Sharon said. Suna was cuddled to her chest and she leaned down to whisper in its ear. The dragon then opened its mouth and let out a loud roar. It worked to startle everyone, silencing the conversations around them. Daunte held up his hands to reassure the crowd that everything was fine. "We're going to go to headquarters now," he announced. The rest of his main party began converging around them. "Viki has been kind enough to volunteer to teleport us all instantaneously. But in order for the teleportation to succeed, we need everyone's cooperation! I want you all to take hands, close your eyes, and focus on our target location! Focus on an encampment of tents south of here! Keep your minds focused on that location, and Viki will safely teleport you there!"

Soft murmurs of apprehension rose from the crowd, but everyone began to comply. They linked hands and closed their eyes. Several even began praying.

"If Viki succeeds in teleporting all these people, then you'll succeed at winning the people over," Gunther said as the group took hands.

"If Viki succeeds, then that only proves just how powerful she really is," Daunte corrected him. "All I'm doing is organizing everyone. She's the one doing the most work."

"T-Thank you, Lord Daunte," Viki stammered. She looked a little meek though as she stepped forward and raised her staff. "Everyone! Focus your minds! Here—we—go!"

Daunte grabbed both Roen and Felicity's hands and focused his mind on their desired location. He felt a whoosh of air and his feet lifted off the ground slightly. Several screams of shock startled him though, and he opened his eyes.

"W-W-Where did you all come from?!" a wounded Liberation Army soldier shrieked.

Daunte blinked several times to clear his vision. He sighed with relief as he recognized the tents stretched out before him and he quickly turned around. "I-Is everyone accounted for?"

The entire assembly quickly did a headcount and just two minutes later Daunte got the result. "Everyone is here," Eamon reassured him.

Daunte sighed again in relief and turned to Viki. "Excellent job."

"T-Thank you," Viki said, bowing slightly.

"Guys?" Gunther said suddenly.

Daunte turned back around to the encampment and gave pause. When they had left the soldiers were still mobilizing for battle. Now it had appeared the battle had ended—and it hadn't ended well.

Bodies of injured were lying everyone. Those who weren't injured—and even some who were injured but just not injured as badly—were tending to the wounded. Daunte did not see one single person who was unscathed.

Holy Nagar. What on earth happened?!

"Clara!" Gunther suddenly shouted, surging forward. Daunte and his friends followed, and several volunteers scattered to tend to the injured. "Clara, what the hell happened?!"

The poor doctor looked so fatigue that she looked ready to collapse. Daunte started to raise his right hand when Clara spoke. "W…We marched into a trap."

"O-Oh no," Felicity gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth.

"So the High Clerics didn't go on recess," Farzin breathed. "This is very shocking. T-They rushed that deplorable vote just to get it done before their recess, but they didn't go on it?!" he pressed a hand to his forehead. "W-Was that all just a ploy, then?!"

"I see the lot of you fared better than we did."

"Al—" Gunther burst out Allise's name, but the word died in his throat. Fury immediately filled his face when he saw the woman in question, and Daunte's stomach turned. The whole left side of Allise's face was covered in purple bruises, and her right arm was in a sling. She looked surprisingly in high spirits though as she surveyed the entourage Daunte brought back. "Well…this will make up for all the soldiers we lost today."

"Are you all right?" Gunther spoke in a soft tone as he looked her over.

"I survived," was Allise's only response to the question. "But the battle…we were utterly defeated. We didn't even get remotely close to Mlkwt Alsmwat—the Holy Army surrounded us in Winter Hill. We've lost over half of our Army."

Daunte felt physically ill, and he surveyed the injured around them once more. We…We already lost so much in the ambush leading to the Sheikh's Garrison. Now we've lost even more than that!

"D…Damn him!" an injured soldier shouted from his bedroll. Clara knelt down beside him. "Damn Lord Bearyl! I heard him! I heard Lord Caesar try to call for the retreat, but Lord Bearyl overruled him! H-H-H-H-H-He was so sure that nothing was wrong, and forced us to keep marching! But we marched right into a massacre!"

"Oh, are you kidding me?" Priscilla growled, slapping a hand over her eyes. "He ignored the advice of his own strategist?!"

"I would say that I'm surprised, but I'm not," Farzin said.

Eamon quickly moved to Daunte's side. "I pledged myself to you, and my citizens pledged themselves to you. B-But I didn't know that we would be serving a leader who lacked sound judgment!"

Daunte felt guilty at bringing them here like this. They had obviously pledged themselves to the Liberation Army because of Daunte, and not because of Bearyl Lutis. He knew that Eamon was now afraid that the volunteers from Uaminifu would have their lives thrown away from seriously poor decisions.

I need to prove to them that they made the right decision to join us.

Unable to handle the suffering that surrounded him any longer, Daunte raised his right hand. "Howl!" he shouted.

The Rune of Restoration glowed, and Daunte concentrated all of his strength into the power of the rune. A glow filled the air and spread out, reaching as many injured as it could. He started feeling dizzy, but he didn't stop concentrating. He didn't care how much strength he poured into the power of the spell, so long as it worked and healed those around him.

By the time the spell finished he almost fainted. Farzin grabbed him from behind and held him steady on his feet. "I've got you, my Lord."

But he got the desired effect. Because of how widespread the healing spell was it didn't fully heal the injured around them. But as Daunte's vision swam he saw that people were sitting up on their bedrolls, and Clara looked less tired, and the bruises were gone from Allise's face. She was even removing her arm from her sling.

"I…Is everyone—" was all Daunte could manage before the world turned dark.

He could see the ocean from where he sat. He knew Father often sat in this same spot, just staring for hours on end. Daunte didn't know how much peace he could get from it until that moment.

A soft mumble to his left startled him, and he turned his head. Arin was just five years old, but the child was curled up on his side facing Daunte, fast asleep. Daunte couldn't help but laugh and he poked his little brother in his chubby cheek. The child barely stirred.

"Do you know why we fight?"

Daunte jumped at hearing his mother's voice and turned. But Mother wasn't talking to him. She was facing a tall man, a man that Daunte knew was his father. But he—Daunte couldn't see his face. It looked like it was covered with a white light.

"I know why we fight," his father said. "We fight to make those bastards pay!"

"Please don't use such language. Our sons can hear you."

"They took everything away from me. My father, my life—I've made it my mission to make them pay!"

"I understand," Phoebe responded. "And I understand that it was your anger that brought you here, and it's your anger that caused our meeting. But—But is it only your anger that drives you?"

Daunte's father didn't respond for a long moment. Daunte stretched out on his stomach and leaned his chin onto his arms as he watched his parents.

"…No," he finally responded. "No. It's not just that. I'm fighting for my boys—for our boys. I'm fighting for you. Anger is what has guided me, but you—you showed me that there's much more worth fighting for. I'm fighting for all of you. So that none of you have to wake up in fear of persecution. I'm fighting so that honest people with integrity—people like you—take back this country from those disgusting murderers. I…I'm fighting because that's the right thing to do."

Daunte saw his mother reach out and press a hand to his father's cheek, even though he still could not see his father's face. "Thank you. All of those reasons…that's why I'm fighting too. That's why I'm working so hard to end this insanity. For your sake, for the sake of our children…and for everyone else in Nagarea."

Daunte opened his eyes slowly. He saw Clara leaning over him, and just beyond Clara he saw Tidur watching them with worry.

"Easy," Clara said when he tried to sit up. "Just lie back and relax for a moment, Daunte." She eased him back down onto the bedroll and laughed softly. "What have I told you about overexerting yourself with that Rune?"

Daunte shook his head and closed his eyes. "They—Everyone was suffering. I had to…do something."

"And we greatly appreciate what you did for us. But please remember that you're still human, despite possessing a True Rune, and as a human you do have limitations."

"Daunte."

Daunte quickly opened his eyes again as Arin grabbed for his hand. His little brother looked worried. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Daunte said, squeezing his hand. "We…We succeeded in preventing the massacre at Uaminifu."

"So the High Clerics really did sanction a massacre of one of their most loyal cities?" Tidur said softly. She shook her head. "T-That's horrifying."

"Daunte." Both Roen and Felicity quickly entered the tent. "Daunte, are you okay?" Felicity asked.

"Y-Yes," Daunte said. He slowly sat up again, and ignored Clara's grunt of disapproval. "What's wrong?"

"After you collapsed, Gunther, Farzin, and Lord Eamon went to make their report to Lord Bearyl," Roen said grimly. "It's…not going well."

"T-Then I must go, too," Daunte said. He started to stand but his vision swam slightly. "You really should rest," Clara admonished him.

"I'll rest after I speak to Lord Bearyl." Still holding onto Arin's hand, Daunte took careful steps towards Roen and Felicity. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"Just fifteen minutes," Roen said. He nodded his head towards the tent flap. "They're still in Lord Bearyl's tent giving the reports."

Daunte nodded. "Let's hurry, then."

"I'm going to come with you," Clara demanded, straightening. "I want to stay by you in case you collapse again."

"Clara, there are people far more inj—"

"Your reckless use of your True Rune has ensured that the entire camp no longer has life-threatening injuries. I can spare a few minutes, I promise you."

"I will keep watching over the injured while you're gone," Tidur promised. "If anything happens, I will send one of my daughters to come and get you."

Clara nodded. "Thank you. Shall we?"

The group departed the tent and quickly made their way towards Bearyl's tent. They were just over six meters away and Daunte could hear the shouting from the tent. It filled him with dread.

Along the way they were repeatedly stopped by soldiers and civilians who wanted to give thanks to Daunte. Even though they were in a hurry, Daunte still took the time to accept their gratitude.

"Thank you so much!"

"—had eight broken ribs! I couldn't even breathe until you casted that spell!"

"I wished you had been there with us! Comparing the results of your mission with Lord Bearyl's, it's pretty clear which one of you is more competent!"

"Did the zealots really accept you?"

They finally reached the tent, and Daunte stepped inside. He jumped slightly when Gunther punched the table in frustration.

"—just listen to me!" Gunther thundered. "We were right! The massacre was very real, and had we not been there the entire city of Uaminifu would've been slaughtered! But thanks to our efforts—thanks to Daunte's efforts—we managed to save all but 100 people!"

"Do you really expect me to believe that Sheikh Keiran Umed brought a force of 400 soldiers to slaughter eighty-five thousand civilians?" Bearyl demanded incredulously. "There's no way such a small Army would ever be able to slay so many people!"

"Lord Bearyl, I've told you this repeatedly," Eamon interjected. "The massacre attempt was real. My guards were really attacked by the Sheikh's forces, and they really advanced upon my city to kill my people. And like Gunther has told you, if it weren't for the Liberation Army, we would've lost more than 100 people."

Bearyl scoffed, but Eamon quickly cut him off. "But!" he snapped. "But I firmly believe that we wouldn't have lost any lives if you had sent more than 150 soldiers to defend my city!"

"So you're blaming me for your losses?!" Bearyl snapped at him. He jabbed a finger at Eamon. "Because from the sound of things, you wouldn't have lost so many people if you hadn't stupidly ignored the warnings we had sent you!"

Eamon turned purple with rage, and Daunte quickly stepped forward. "Lord Bearyl!"

To his surprise, the tent abruptly fell silent. Farzin and Gunther even stepped aside as Daunte moved forward to stand in front of the table. Bearyl stood on the other side, with Varnaz at his left and Caesar at his right. Varnaz looked like he had a broken nose, and Caesar looked so gaunt that Daunte was certain the strategist hadn't gotten any sleep in the last day or so.

"So," Bearyl said, drawing Daunte's attention back to him. "You returned victorious." But his voice was full of venom.

"Yes," Daunte said calmly. "Our force of 150 soldiers successfully defended Uaminifu. We lost two dozen soldiers however, and 100 civilians died. But we have gained the support of the entire city, and I have brought back with me two thou—"

Bearyl interrupted him by clapping. But the motions were slow, indicating that it was not a sincere round of applause. A feeling of discomfort settled in Daunte's stomach.

"Congratulations," Bearyl told him sardonically. "You got what you wanted. You stole my soldiers away from my cause, and got your way. And hey—it only cost me three-quarters of my Army. But what does that matter so long as you show me that you're right and I'm wrong?"

Daunte flushed, and he heard Roen and Felicity hiss with anger behind him. "I-I'm sorry," Daunte stammered. "I'm sorry for the soldiers who d—"

"Oh really? You're sorry, Daunte? Here, why don't I bring you to the families of the soldiers who died?" Bearyl motioned to him as he walked around the table. "Why don't you tell them how sorry you are that they died? I mean, it's because of you that we didn't have the proper forces to march upon Mlkwt Alsmwat. It's because of the fact that you decided that your detour was more important than ending this war that they died. So come on, Daunte!" Bearyl glared at him. Daunte flinched, because he saw genuine hate in his eyes. "Go to them! Tell them how sorry you are that they died because of you!"

"HEY!" Roen shouted, advancing on Bearyl. "Daunte didn't kill the soldiers! You're the one who walked into a trap! You're the one who assumed the High Clerics were going on recess! You're the one who pushed the Army into an ambush! So don't you dare pin this on Daunte! He not only saved a city, but he brought back two-thousand volunteers! Two thousand! And he didn't need to bribe them, either!"

Bearyl glared murderously at Roen, and it looked like he wanted to strike the younger man. Gunther stepped forward. "My Lord, it's true. We brought back two thousand volunteers who have pledged themselves to our cause. We—"

"I'm really sad to see what little value you hold in our troops, Gunther."

Gunther blinked in confusion. "W-What?"

Bearyl sighed heavily and walked back around the table. "We lost so many soldiers, but what does that matter when we have two thousand other people to be our cannon fodder? Isn't that right, Gunther?"

"N-No, that's not what I meant at all!" Gunther sputtered indignantly. "I was only—"

"I know what you meant, Gunther. You're gloating like you always do."

Gunther was twitching violently, and he began trembling. Daunte was afraid he was going to launch across the table and physically assault Bearyl when the Commander of the Liberation Army spoke again. "Never mind. I'm deflecting. I had such great aspirations of ending this war, and instead the Army has become more hobbled than before. There is only one person who is to blame for this mess."

Daunte gaped at him in shock. Is…Is he taking responsibility for his poor decisions for once?! He glanced at Gunther and saw the other man visibly relax.

But Bearyl quickly squashed that idea as he turned to Caesar. "And that person is you."

Caesar gaped at him in shock, and the people within the tent shifted with disbelief. Including Varnaz. Bearyl then advanced upon him and Caesar took a couple of steps back.

"You are my strategist," Bearyl said with cold fury. "More than that, you're a Silverberg. You're supposed to be giving me the best advice that will guide me to victory. Now look at us—we are without a headquarters, and I have suffered two consecutive losses that have crippled my Army. Do you call this a victory?"

"My Lord—" Caesar began.

"DO YOU CALL THIS A VICTORY?!" Bearyl bellowed out. His shrieked rumbled in Daunte's ears.

"My Lord, I have given you the very best advice I can offer you!" Caesar shouted back. "But what the hell am I supposed to do when you don't yield my advice?!"

"Don't you dare pin this on me! You're the Army strategist! You're supposed to give the best strategies! All your strategies have done is lead me to failure! And that's because YOU'RE a failure, Caesar!"

"Look, I'm a damned good strategist!" Caesar raged. He looked ready to strike Bearyl. "I was the leading strategist of the Second Fire Bringer War! I not only helped win that war, but I helped save the damn world! And hell—I'm no Lucretia Merces, but I've given you the absolute best advice in my arsenal! All of our failures—and I do mean all of them—have been when you have defied me and when you have made decisions without consulting me, and by overruling me! I will accept the responsibility of the failures of this Army, but don't you EVER question the person I am, because I did not cause any of this!"

It was incredibly hard to watch the commander and the strategist argue so fiercely. And unfortunately, Bearyl only turned his nose up to Caesar's words. "You're just a child deflecting. It's no wonder I haven't won yet when I have you at my side."

Caesar was breathing so quickly and so harshly with rage that Daunte became more and more nervous. After a moment the strategist ducked his head low and let a long, harsh sigh. For several moments there was nothing but silence in the tent as everyone braced themselves…and waited.

Finally, Caesar raised his head. He no longer looked angry, but was smiling his usual lazy smile. "Effectively immediately, I'm resigning from my post."

A collective gasp of shock filled the tent. Bearyl flinched, and the man even looked stricken for a moment. Caesar continued. "It has become abundantly clear to me that you don't see any value in me. You have your mind made up about what you need to do in order to achieve victory, and nothing that nobody says will allow you to change your mind. Including me." he folded his arms over his chest. "As it stands now, this Army is not going to succeed. And to be perfectly frank Lord Bearyl, you're not somebody I want to die for. So…" he turned to face the group before him and bowed deeply. "Thank you for your accommodations everyone, and I wish you all the best of luck." He picked up a satchel that was sitting on a chair and slung it over his shoulder. Then he calmly walked around the group and exited the tent.

Nobody spoke for a solid two minutes. Daunte's jaw was hanging open. O-Oh no. We've lost our strategist. We've lost the Army's only strategist!

"Don't you ever come back!" Bearyl suddenly shouted, though the words had little meaning since Caesar was already gone. "Warn the guards to not allow that traitorous slouch back here again!"

"My Lord—" Varnaz began.

"Now that he's gone, we can finally focus on sensible planning that will achieve us victory!"

"My Lord—"

"I know the loss of a strategist may lower morale, but Caesar Silverberg only proved to me that there's nothing he can do that I can't do better!"

"Bearyl!" Varnaz finally shouted, startling everyone.

Bearyl looked up and straightened. "Varnaz, what's wrong?"

Varnaz suddenly glared at the group in front of them. "Everyone, leave us now."

"Wait a minute, what are you talking about?" Bearyl demanded.

"Leave," Varnaz snapped at the group. "I won't tell you again."

Daunte and the others heeded his words and immediately made their way to the tent's flap. Daunte noted, however, that Gunther was staying behind. Daunte tugged Arin with him, and the tent flap barely closed behind him when another violent shouting match erupted from inside the tent. Daunte paused, and simply turned to watch the tent in grim horror. The three yelling voices overlapped, making it impossible to understand the words. He slowly turned around to walk away, and paused at what he saw before him. Every single person he saw—soldier or civilian—was watching the main tent in silence. Several looked very angry, while others—including the men—looked on the verge of tears.

Daunte let out a short breath, unable to make a facial expression that didn't mirror theirs. He looked down at Arin, but the boy looked angry. Daunte nodded to him in silence, and led him away from the tent.

"Don't leave us! Please!"

Daunte didn't bother checking to see where his friends had gone to. His first priority was to look for Caesar. Arin tagged along with him, and despite his sour demeanor he was healthy enough to be on his feet for so long.

He found Caesar quickly enough, surrounded by two dozen soldiers. Most of them were blocking the path leading out of camp. Some of them had their hands clasped in a pleading manner.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have resigned my post," Caesar told them calmly. "I cannot stay in this camp any longer. I must leave."

"But you can't leave us!" a female soldier shouted. "You're our Army strategist! You're our only strategist! You're one of the reasons we're still alive right now! If you leave, then we're all doomed!"

"Yes, I was the Liberation Army strategist. However, I'm sure none of you can forget that it was my strategy that led us into an ambush. So many of us died and were seriously injured yesterday because I failed. As the strategist, I am responsible for failures like these."

"Oh, just stop it!" another snapped. "Stop covering for Lord Bearyl! I was in your unit, remember?! I was there when it was clear we were walking into a trap, and you tried to order our retreat! But Lord Bearyl ordered that we keep marching! Lord Bearyl caused our heavy losses, not you! If he had only listened to you, then this wouldn't have happened!"

"We wouldn't even be out here if he had listened to you!" another raged. "If he hadn't thrown that kid out, then that kid wouldn't have been arrested and wouldn't have been able to sell us out to the Holy Army! Everything bad that has happened to us is HIS fault, not yours!"

"Everyone, please calm down," Caesar implored, raising his hands. "You're giving me too much credit. I share in the blame for all the misfortune that has befallen you. Had I been more competent at my job, then you would all be better off. I'm fairly certain Lord Bearyl will find another—"

"If you're quitting, then I'm quitting too!" someone snapped. "I've sacrificed too much for Lord Bearyl, and for what?! To be led into ambush after ambush by an incompetent blowhard?! If you're not here to help him, we're all surely going to die!"

Several other voices joined in, proclaiming that they were going to quit as well if Caesar left. Daunte squeezed Arin's hand tighter, not knowing what to say or do.

But Caesar raised his hands higher, appealing for calm. "Everyone, please! You cannot abandon the cause now! If you do, then the Holy Army is going to win! Nothing is going to change! You must continue to press on and persevere! Your cause is just and you are fighting an enemy that needs to be taken down! Please—please have faith!"

"'Have faith'?! We're supposed to have faith in a leader who doesn't listen to his own strategist's advice?! A leader who throws away our lives because think all of his own decision are always right?!"

Caesar looked to be at a loss for words. Daunte surged forward to come to his side. "Caesar."

"Ah, Daunte!" the strategist looked pleased to see him. Daunte vaguely noticed that the other soldiers immediately silenced upon his arrival. "Just the person I wanted to see!"

"Lord Daunte, please talk to him!" one of the soldiers pleaded. "Please tell him to stay!"

"Lord Daunte?" Arin echoed. He looked at Daunte. "Y-You have a lordship, Big Brother?"

Daunte actually didn't know why everyone was suddenly addressing him with such an honorific, but Caesar took him by the arm before he could correct everyone. "Let's have a word in private."

Daunte allowed Caesar to lead him to a quieter section of the camp. They passed by Viki, who looked like she was asleep on her feet. Caesar paused to straighten the nose plug on her nose. And they also passed Desiree, who was trying to lift spirits with her dancing. She wasn't having much success.

"Caesar," Daunte said when they reached their destination. "You're not really leaving, are you?"

"Daunte, I've publically resigned," Caesar reminded him. "In addition to that, I insulted Lord Bearyl in front of his men. My staying after such would be detrimental to the Army."

"Your departure is detrimental to the Army!" Daunte insisted. "I know, okay?! I know you've been trying so hard to make us succeed! It's not your fault that Lord Bearyl hasn't been listening to you!"

"But as a strategist, I should have the capabilities of swaying my commander into believing that my ideas are sound," Caesar said. "In the last couple of months I have not been able to do so. So I do share in the failure for not having the high enough persuasion to convince Lord Bearyl that he can trust me, and trust in my ideas."

"You…" Daunte stepped closer. "But you already were a strategist during wartime, right? The Second Fire Bringer War?"

"My anger got the better of me and allowed my ego to swell out of control," Caesar said. "True, I was a strategist during that war, but I was just one of many. It wasn't by my wit alone that my side succeeded. There were many factors that contributed to our victory."

"Yes, but your side still won," Daunte pointed out. "That should show to Lord Bearyl, more than anything, that you are worth it!"

"D-Did you guys really save the world?" Arin said.

"Sure," Caesar said, laughing slightly. "We fought against a foe who was trying to destroy a True Rune. And as you both know, the 27 True Runes are woven into the fabric of our universe. If even one of these runes are destroyed, our world would collapse onto itself."

"B-But why?!" Daunte sputtered. "Why did this person try to destroy a True Rune?!"

Caesar shrugged. "I suppose he was trying to fight fate. But it doesn't really matter—we stopped him."

There was a long moment of silence. Caesar sighed, looked skyward as he put his hands in his pockets, and looked at his surroundings. "You know, when I came here I didn't really care about what was going on here."

"…What?" Daunte said flatly.

"I knew nothing about this country. The last time there was contact by anyone from within this country was nearly three decades ago. The rest of world knows nothing about Nagarea. And during the war I…" he frowned deeply. "My brother. He had been on the opposing side."

"Y-Your brother?!" Daunte sputtered. "Your brother wanted to destroy the world?!"

"Actually, no," Caesar said. "Albert had no intention of ending the world. Fact of the matter is that he joined the other side because he knew it was doomed to failure. He never once believed on what L—what his commander believed. He knew that it wouldn't be successful. All that mattered to him was showing off." Caesar practically spat out the words. "He helped orchestrate race wars, genocide, and a completely unnecessary war that was doomed to failure just to demonstrate his superior skills. People died—thousands of people died—but all that matter to him was getting his name out there. And you know the crazy thing? He was right." Caesar snapped his teeth and scrubbed a hand over his face. "He got everything he wanted. All those people died, lives were ruined—and you know where my brother is right now? He's in Zelant! He has a government position! After everything he did, he got exactly what he wanted in the end!"

Daunte had never seen Caesar this furious, not even in Bearyl's presence. Both Arin and him remained silent as Caesar continued. "So I thought—I thought I could do better! I would go to a country where I would do even greater things than him! And! And I wouldn't need to commit mass genocide to achieve my goals! So yes!" he turned to face Daunte. "I came here for my own selfish reasons! B-But never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine just how bad things were here! T-T-That the government had been overtaken by ex-assassins who are still stuck in their glory days! I…" He shook his head and took several deep breaths to calm down. "I wanted…I wanted to make a difference, Daunte. I may have come here m-maybe to boost my own ego, but just the amount of sheer suffering here just makes me…so I acted on impulse. I aligned myself with the first person I met who had a large enough network of influence and support for me to make a difference!"

"Lord Bearyl?" Daunte asked. Caesar nodded his confirmation. "But Lord Bearyl…he…"

"I wanted to make a difference," Caesar said. His tone had grown quiet. "No matter what my reasons were for coming here, I genuinely want reform here, Daunte. But it was a mistake to pledge myself to Bearyl Lutis. He…Daunte, you have to understand that these problems between Bearyl and I are not a new phenomenon. Bearyl is a man of insufferable pride, and he's so use to people agreeing with him because everybody agreed with him when he was still a Cleric. But because he's use to it, he will never take any criticism and he will never admit when he is wrong. And he…Daunte, you should know that he didn't start the Liberation Army out of a desire to make the country better."

Daunte gaped at him. Caesar continued. "Bearyl, he…he's driven by spite. He was a brilliant Cleric and for all intents and purposes should've been elected to the Cabinet of High Clerics. It's true that the charges that got him defrocked were fabricated, but he…he's not doing all of this because it's the right thing to do. He just wants revenge on the High Clerics. He wants to make them pay for denying him what should've been his. A true leader should be driven by what is best for everyone, and not solely what is best for himself. I knew from the beginning that Bearyl Lutis didn't have what it took to be a good leader, but I ignored his shortcomings and mistakenly threw my support behind him. But I can't do that now."

Daunte still did not know what to say. Caesar had completely opened up to him—just a grunt in the Liberation Army. He was still going to leave. And Daunte didn't know what to say to make him stay.

"But I digress," Caesar said, straightening. "What about you, Daunte? Are you going to stay? Do you want to still go back to Prince Surya Falenas's offer and move to Falena? What do you want done about the current state of things?"

What did he want? What did it matter what Daunte wanted? He had absolutely no say in what happened with the Liberation Army!

I can't criticize Caesar for joining the Liberation Army for selfish reasons because I joined the Army too for selfish reasons. But do I stay here under Bearyl Lutis? Or go to Falena or Harmonia o-or somewhere else? Damn it all, what do I do?!

But Daunte remembered his parents. His memories were still so vague, but he knew his parents had died trying to make Nagarea a better place. He knew that he could do no better than to follow their example. "I want reform," he said softly. "I want to get rid of the High Clerics and make things better for the people of Nagarea."

Caesar smiled, and it wasn't his usual lazy smile. "You know, I'm not going to go to Viki and have her teleport me to some random place. I plan on doing some traveling before I leave. I don't want to leave things as they are, but I can't support the Liberation Army so long as Bearyl Lutis is leader."

Daunte reluctantly nodded. "I-I understand."

"But." Caesar suddenly stepped closer to him. "If that changes…then I can easily be persuaded back."

Daunte's eyes widened. Caesar clapped him on the shoulder. "Stay in good health, both of you. Until we meet again." He then turned and walked away.

Daunte felt foolish just standing there, watching Caesar walk into the horizon until he blended in. No! He should've stopped him! Convinced him somehow to stay!

"Daunte," Arin said, looking up at him. "W-Was Lord Caesar telling us to fire Lord Bearyl as leader?!"

Daunte swallowed thickly, and tried to formulate the words. "I—"

"Daunte! Arin!"

Both boys were startled by the shout and turned. Roen and Felicity were running towards them. "We need to talk," Roen said once they reached them. "Now."

Daunte made sure they hadn't been followed, and sat down beside Arin on a rock. Felicity looked grim and Roen looked furious.

"So, Caesar quit," Roen surmised. "The only strategist this entire Army quit. What exactly is going to happen to us now?"

"…I don't know," Daunte admitted softly. "Lord Bearyl has basically had the run of things lately because he kept overruling Caesar's ideas. But at least with Caesar here there could be a workaround with some of Lord Bearyl's more…"

"Stupid decisions?" Roen offered. Daunte nodded.

"And now, with Caesar gone, Lord Bearyl has no filter for any of his harebrained ideas," Felicity said. "And recent events have shown that…" she left the sentence hanging.

"Recent events have shown that the Liberation Army has absolutely no chance of winning this war," Roen said. "Bearyl Lutis is completely incapable of leading this Army. At this rate he's literally going to get everybody here killed, and I'll bet you all the bits in the world that once he gets captured and executed, he'll still blame somebody else for his failures!"

Arin tugged on Daunte's hand, and Daunte looked at him. The child looked terrified. "Daunte…if we stay here we're going to die, aren't we?"

Daunte honestly didn't know what to say to him. They were damned no matter what because without the Liberation Army they were still on the run from having escaped the Dark Chasm.

I almost wish I could cut our losses and just flee to Falena as refugees. B-But I can't leave things the way they are! Running away only helps me! It doesn't help the children of the Dark Chasm, and it doesn't help anyone in Nagarea!

…But. But there were some things even he couldn't deny.

"Roen," he said finally, looking up at his friend. "I…I agree with you. I want to do what's right for this country, but Bearyl Lutis isn't the right ruler for this country. Without Caesar here, who knows what else he will do? I…"

He let go of Arin's hand and slid an arm around his shoulders. "If we stay here, then we're doomed to die pointless deaths. I'm grateful for what the Army has given me, but I don't trust Bearyl Lutis with my life. We need to leave."