Edelgard and Dimitri returned to the others. Without completely meaning to, she cast Byleth a reassuring look—one meant to show that her worry was appreciated, albeit unneeded. Byleth simply nodded and gave a half-smile in return.
Dimitri returned to the watch of the guard, and they started on their way back to the monastery in roughly the same position they came. They held about the same amounts of conversation, but the topics shifted—from how killing Cornelia could make things easier to if they could extend similar punishments to others. Monica was particularly fond of the idea of killing Solon, who seemed to have served his purpose during the Remire Tragedy and hasn't come up since.
Edelgard tried to look out for any signs that Dimitri was reconsidering his stance—signs that he might agree to move on, or at least try harder to. Mourning to the extent of revenge—of believing those who came anywhere near the situation were responsible—wouldn't do any good for him or those closest to him. He needed to realize that.
Considering he didn't outright stab her when given the chance, she hoped he was beginning to change. He never slipped so far into uncertainty—into that madness—that he had fallen into when they met in her siege of Garreg Mach. If she was especially lucky, there was a chance someone had already began the process when the war started.
They returned to the monastery with the good news that the remaining two houses had surrendered; their leaders and noble families were being taken back as prisoners. They would all know who the rest were, so the best option would be to make sure they didn't know that Dimitri was here now. To that end, Dimitri was put back into Abyss for the time being.
Unfortunately, no one from the Knights of Seiros—including Rhea—was found anywhere near the battle site. Edelgard couldn't entirely understand where they would be; unless they hid in strange places like Cornelia, they should be found by now. She asked Dimitri out of pure curiosity, but he didn't offer any response—which she took to mean he didn't know, like the location of Areadbhar.
She was left with a bit more free time than usual after looking over her previous strategies and if they needed to be changed. She could send out another few groups to look, but she wanted to wait until Count Bergliez came back with their new prisoners. At least then, she could confirm if they knew anything, even if she had a feeling they didn't.
Considering the lack of productive things to do, Edelgard eventually thought back to talking with Byleth after the meeting. She still had a question about the Holy Tomb—and if she wanted to actually explain the kiss and hope for anything beyond that, she had things she needed to share; her own stories she needed to finally give an ending to.
Edelgard's thoughts lied mostly with that as she sat in the Black Eagles' classroom, all of her work completed for now. A part of her wanted to speak with Byleth now—the other worried about being interrupted, and some portion of the conversation lost as a result. A suddenly closed door could just prompt others to ask later, as Monica had.
Someone walked up to the door, but just stood there. Edelgard offered a look, and essentially stopped Dimitri mid-knock. She couldn't exactly read his expression; hesitance, but firm and still angry to some extent.
She stood and nodded as some kind of greeting. "You're willing to talk?"
"…I've come to some sort of conclusion, at least," Dimitri said.
"I'm glad to hear it. You can come inside."
Dimitri took a single step into the classroom. She didn't expect much more than that. Edelgard herself went to stand in front of Manuela's desk, partially to keep a wary distance from him.
Neither spoke for a moment. It was strange to her to actually have this opportunity, despite hoping for it.
"I've held you responsible for the Tragedy of Duscur for close to two years now," Dimitri said to begin, frowning. "The main evidence I gathered—before I found the papers in your room—was when I followed you out of the monastery, lost sight of you, overheard the Flame Emperor and another man talking, then found yourdagger in the Flame Emperor's place. You left for Enbarr that next morning; I didn't know what to believe. When I gave the dagger back to you, you didn't question me—I took that as an assurance, at the time. After you fled the Holy Tomb, however, those papers in your room seemed to prove my suspicions—my fears—were correct. It…changed things for me."
"I can't tell if that's an accurate description or an understatement," Edelgard admitted. With the knowledge of the Holy Tomb, she wanted to assume the latter. "But has your view shifted at all?"
Dimitri sighed, looking off to the side. "…I spent several months alone; only memories of the dead kept me company. If I ever encountered someone else—if I ever saw a friend or a soldier—they were killed allegedly by your order. Even if that's false, that's…difficult to see past."
He met her gaze and she had the chance to fully read the expression—resentment hid behind the even conversation. Edelgard almost had an easier time standing there knowing that; yes, she wanted him to move past it, but it would be unnerving if he went from murderous to kind. She couldn't trust his word in that case.
"I can't ignore what I've been told about you," Dimitri said firmly. "And you have taken lives that could have been spared; you can't consider it a consequence of war, when you avoided casualties in the Alliance—it was merely aggression towards the Kingdom."
He sighed, then continued. "…But you're not wholly responsible either, at least not for the Tragedy. Your actions are…similar to what I might have done in different circumstances. I can't entirely hold it in contempt upon the realization."
"So are you willing to work with me?" Edelgard asked. That was she was most interested in hearing. "Can you muster enough trust in me—that I won't stab you when I next have the chance, that I won't injure any future Kingdom soldiers—to help in some way during this war?"
"Reform like yours needs time," Dimitri replied evenly. "While I agree that things need to change, you can't force it to. In that respect, there aren't many people who would be willing to fight against the Central Church."
"And if I asked you to fight those who slither in the dark? The ones responsible for the Tragedy of Duscur and what happened in Remire during the academy?"
His expression changed, from openly showing politeness to darkness instead.
"I have no reservations about killing them."
"Could we discuss it after Claude and Count Bergliez return, then?"
"…I suppose. But I am a bit curious; would you consider it a victory, or a truce?"
"It's cooperation. That leaves room for both sides to have other motives and intentions."
He nodded, and turned to leave. He paused a moment before looking back again, appearing somewhat kinder now. Almost…nostalgic, strangely enough.
"Could I ask one question?"
"Go ahead."
Dimitri turned back around, his expression now showing more confusion than anger.
"Is the extra help all you wanted from me? Or is there another reason you didn't have anyone follow me when you took Garreg Mach, why you didn't kill me in the underground city or when we ended Cornelia's life?"
Edelgard didn't expect the question. She tried to maintain evenness and lie to avoid giving the actual reason.
"I only wanted the extra help. Having the other two nations on my side makes things a bit easier, and minimizes casualties. Especially against those who slither in the dark, the extra eyes and ears will be helpful."
"That doesn't seem to be an honest answer—or not the full reason, at least."
It wasn't. But she also didn't want to admit she liked the idea of asking him about Anselma—the thought that she could hear stories of her mother, from the one who was raised by her. Helping things was being weaker emotionally at the time; as both events involved Byleth, Edelgard refused to say it even more.
Dimitri seemed to accept the answer, albeit hesitantly, and left. Edelgard stood there a moment longer just to consider her reasons.
She really was getting too close to the past, choosing such a childish thing to cling to instead of logic. Yet she couldn't entirely tell anymore if strictly looking towards the future was a strength or not. If she hadn't glanced back, after all, her path would be marked with Dimitri's blood as well.
