No one said anything directly to Dimitri for the duration of the trip. He wasn't surprised; he preferred the glares, in a way. It strangely reminded him of that time after the Holy Tomb, but before he 'recovered.' The fear or disgust from his friends.
When Hubert came to get him before they left, all Dimitri was told was that they would be going to kill someone. The person was never specified—Dimitri partially expected it to be himself, and they were just going out of their way to put the corpse somewhere that no one else would easily expect them.
The conversation behind him—between Edelgard, Hubert, and Monica—alternated between sounding genuinely friendly and somewhat threatening. He noticed whether or not Hubert was actually talking factored into it, but they talked silently enough Dimitri could only catch the tones of voice. Conversation closest to him—between the guard and Byleth—was tense on the mercenary's part, where the guard just wanted to mention some work she previously did. She seemed much happier whenever Edelgard would call for her attention.
It only took a few days for them to come to wherever they needed to be. The emperor and the two mages actually went into town, leaving Dimitri, the mercenary, and the guard alone. It wasn't for very long, but Dimitri couldn't tell if Byleth looked more or less on edge than when Edelgard was close.
He decided it must have been the latter, considering her expression when Edelgard returned.
"I just need Dimitri," Edelgard said.
"That defeats the purpose of everyone else coming, doesn't it?" Byleth asked. She looked visibly concerned, warily nodding towards him. Was the expression more or less unnerving than her normal blank look?
"You can stay close," the emperor reasoned. "The noble fears me more than Cornelia at the moment—he won't protect her when I'm there to witness it. He could be considered a traitor to Empire and Kingdom in that case."
"The things they would do to stay alive," Hubert mused. "Although it does play into our favor, in this case."
Edelgard looked at Dimitri. "You can fix that if you survive past the war," she said.
Dimitri just frowned back at her. A murderer shouldn't claim her reforms would change anything, except possibly negate her own crimes. Even if he couldn't say what would be achieved if there were other motives—ultimately, it would otherwise be counterproductive, aside from the possibility that she would want complete control of things.
She sighed at his lack of response, and opted to guide him by holding his shoulder. It drew less attention to the chains, he imagined. The rest of the group followed behind Edelgard without a word. They left again after Edelgard gestured them off at the entrance to a house, then she carried on inside and pushed Dimitri ahead of her.
She stopped behind one door, letting go of Dimitri's shoulder and taking out her dagger. She paused for a second, then entered the room; a curse was uttered and there was shuffling, then silence again. Edelgard called from inside.
"Do you want to see the woman dead or not?"
Dimitri stepped inside, somewhat surprised to see Edelgard holding Cornelia against the wall, dagger to throat. Cornelia didn't seem to expect it either, laughing bitterly after a second.
"Nice of you both to come. That's an interesting sight—murderer with the victim. I was hoping you would kill each other in Shambhala."
"I was hoping you could answer a few questions for him," Edelgard replied firmly.
"What, the little prince there won't listen to the murderer? That's a shame."
Dimitri walked closer, scowling. "What do you know, witch?"
"Why tell you?" Cornelia asked, looking between both of them. "The emperor over here is going to murder me either way."
Edelgard briefly pushed the dagger enough to draw blood, then pulled it back again slightly. "If you cooperate, I might be inspired to offer a quicker death."
"I'd be interested to see what a slow death looks to you," Cornelia mused, smiling coldly. "A slit throat? Cuts all across the body and bleeding out? Torture?"
"It wouldn't be enough regardless," Edelgard replied bitterly. She glanced at Dimitri. "I brought you here for a reason. She's the woman to ask if you want questions answered about the Tragedy of Duscur."
He couldn't tell if this was an act of goodwill, or if she was just demonstrating what happened to those who crossed her. A strange part of him wanted to believe the former, and it seemed odd because the kindest thing Edelgard could do involved murder.
Dimitri looked at Cornelia. The mage gave him a bored glance in response.
"Who is responsible for the Tragedy of Duscur? Who needs to die, for them to be satisfied? For me to live without their burdens?"
"Well, I'd be damned if I kept a record, boy," Cornelia pointed out. "But I would give you a hint. That place you were hiding in? Our home. That would've been a better place to look for culprits, instead of here—although I imagine, if the emperor threatens enough people, a few more people might crawl out."
"How many Kingdom lords were involved?"
"Enough. The actual accomplices have mostly died by now, from one thing or another."
"So it's just the people like you?"
"If you want to call us that, yes; 'people like me.'"
He paused. He had the chance to confirm it. The question would just be a matter of if he could believe it.
Dimitri gestured lightly towards Edelgard, who still held Cornelia there with a mostly-blank expression.
"Is she among them?"
Cornelia laughed, almost genuine. "Edelgard? Well, it was fun while it lasted."
"Answer the question," Dimitri replied firmly.
"She didn't cause the Tragedy," Cornelia said simply. She smiled. "Not directly, anyway. You were both pawns, you know; Edelgard was what Anselma needed to act. You had enough love for your family that we could break you. Now, I wouldn't say the emperor here isn't one of us—she's used the power Thales gave her for so long, I'd consider her an honorary member—but she isn't someone you need to kill, unfortunately. I've always used her name just to make you do something."
Dimitri looked at Edelgard.
"…I think I'm done."
Edelgard offered the dagger. "You can do the honors. She's directly related, unlike the others."
He accepted the weapon, handling it carefully to get a good grip despite the chains. "…Thank you, Edelgard."
"Gratitude can wait until the aftermath of this plays out."
Dimitri nodded, and Edelgard partially stepped aside so he was in a better position. He looked at Cornelia.
"Would you prefer a quick or painful death?" Dimitri asked darkly.
"Does it matter? It ends the same way."
"Very well, then. Consider this your payment for the people you murdered."
He ran the blade against Cornelia's throat, letting her fall. He wasn't satisfied until she stopped choking on her own blood—until her breathing and heartbeat stopped. Edelgard kicked the body over for good measure.
"Good riddance." She looked at Dimitri. "Can I have my dagger back?"
He hesitated. If he was quick—
But did he really need to kill her? If she wasn't involved, it could be…counterproductive.
Edelgard noticed the silence and frowned, but Dimitri gave her back the dagger, blade towards the ground. Instead of regretting it, he couldn't help but wonder: how many times did that make it now? Three?
"Let's head back to the rest. They could be starting to worry by now."
Dimitri nodded, and oddly enough she didn't guide him this time—although she did insist he walk ahead of her.