The wyvern stables stink of ground cave rocks and dung. Brunnya, one of the three Dragon Lords of Bern, approaches Gale while he is scrubbing his wyvern's claws, 'Narcian's advisor, Flaer, lost to the Etrurian army at Misul.'

I've heard,' Gale dislodges a stone from Skarlen's cuticle, causing the wyvern to wince and knock his master on the head, 'Sorry Skarlen... It looks infected.'

'Lord Murdock observed that your technique has been duller than usual,' Brunnya places one hand on her hip, accentuating the clinging silk against her skin, 'and the strategy you proposed on the hypothetical battle map today was terrible.'

'I'm sorry, General Brunnya,' Gale fixates on a stubborn bit of dirt stuck between in the wyvern's scales, 'I will review the military tactics handbooks.'

'Lord Murdock has expressed some concern about your health. Even the army doctor says you have lost a lot of weight,' the stool Brunnya takes to sit on mismatches the gloss of her dress and hair. Though the suggestion of Brunnya's biological father being an Etrurian noble is nothing more than rumour, Gale cannot help but see familiarity in her tapered chin and delicate eyebrows, the features of an Etrurian noblewoman, 'I understand that the news of Miledy's defection puts you in a difficult situation.'

'My loyalty is to Bern,' Gale places his wyvern's claw down and dries his hands against his trousers, 'that will never change.'

'There are no easy options in war. Either Bern wins, or Etruria conquers the entire continent,' Brunnya studies Gale's downcast eyes, 'if Etruria wins, we will not see peace but endless exploitation of the poor and class struggle. I am sure you are familiar with that system. The Lycian Alliance Army may be the foremost opponent, but they are really a collection of vagabonds led by General Roy who is a puppet of the Etrurian government. His tutor is the Etrurian Sorcery General, Lady Cecilia.'

'Why're you explaining things I already know?' Gale's sole shifts in the gravel, 'do you doubt my loyalty to Bern?'

'Love during wartime is torture. Still, I envy you,' Brunnya folds her slender gloved arms, 'even as you and Miledy are separated on opposite sides of a battlefield, your hearts remain united. It's possible to be right beside your love, yet unable to penetrate their thoughts. That is agony.'

'General Brunnya, I don't mean to pry,' Gale notices the glimmering amethyst on Brunnya's circlet, 'but it seems that you have been engaged for some time. You're wearing your wedding jewellery.'

'Ah, so you're aware of that custom in Bern,' Brunnya gives him a sly smile, 'I take that you proposed to Miledy.'

'The timing was unfortunate, but yes,' Gale scratches Skarlen under the chin. The wyvern purrs, 'I heard it was custom in Bern to propose with a ring unless the lady in question serves the army. In those cases, the proposal item should be some kind of headpiece. I wasn't sure what the symbolism was.'

'As is often the case in Bern, the custom is more practical than symbolic,' Brunnya removes her circlet to rotate it between her fingers, 'warriors often wear gloves so a ring wouldn't be visible most of the time. In any case, Miledy's betrayal was a great loss.'

Gale is silent as Brunnya stands up, sliding her silky hair over one shoulder, 'look after yourself, Sir Gale, for King Zephiel needs us. And let's try to keep Miledy's brother Zeiss on our side. He looks up to you.'

I'm sorry, Gale thinks, but I must keep my promise to Lady Lurja.

On the evening that Miledy defected, Murdock called Gale to join him on an emergency visit to Lurja's estate. Without explanation, the esteemed tactician's health had rapidly deteriorated.

'Miledy's father tells me that she has one week at most,' Murdock explained as Gale landed his wyvern at the estate entrance, 'he and the doctor don't know the cause of her health's decline.'

'It's as though Lady Lurja could sense her daughter's decision...' Gale muttered while dismounting from the wyvern. What could Lady Lurja be thinking right now?

'Listen, Gale,' Murdock's facial muscles tensed so much that his chin seemed to wobble under the pressure, 'we must tell Lady Lurja that Miledy died trying to save the princess. Whatever happens, she must not find out about her daughter's betrayal or she will not die peacefully.'

The wooden door to Lurja's private chambers creaked open. The elderly woman appeared half-melted into her mattress, barely able to tilt her head to glance at the two men.

'Lady Lurja!' Murdock hurried to kneel at her side. Gale dawdled after him, aware of Lurja's watchful eyes.

'Murdock...' Saliva frothed at the corner of Lurja's lips when she murmured, 'thank you for visiting.' The end of her sentence dissipated like smoke. She glanced at the worried general before resuming her examination of Gale's face, 'is... Miledy... Any news?'

'Y-Yes,' Murdock kissed the woman's limp hand, 'your daughter... Died trying to rescue the princess. W-We will remember her honourable contribution to the nation, just as we will honour you. Always.'

'Oh... I see,' Lurja's eyes sharpened at Gale. With each breath, every dust particle grated through his nostrils like iron shavings, 'thank you, Murdock. May I please speak with my son-in-law— alone?'

'O-Of course, my lady,' Murdock bowed before closing the door behind him.

Gale sidled up to Murdock's spot beside Lurja's bedside. She immediately rasped, 'Miledy betrayed Bern, didn't she? Tell—!' She coughed vigorously, spitting up a reddish-yellow bile, before wiping her mouth with the inside of her sleeping gown, 'if she were dead, I'd see only grief in your eyes. Yet your face is full of fear and confusion.'

'She...' Gale poured her a glass of water and handed it to her when she started coughing again. She pushed him away, 'yes, it's true. Please don't be disappointed with her. We don't know her side of the story.'

'And what will you do, Gale?' Bile and spit dribbled down the side of Lurja's face, 'does your loyalty to Bern waver?'

'Never,' Gale dabbed her face with a napkin. This time, she allowed it, 'I still believe in the values of the Bern state which brought me out of the poverty of my Etrurian birth.'

'So you will... Take up arms against Miledy?' Lurja's eyes closed, 'she is with the enemy now...'

'Even so, I am sure that she still values the same qualities about Bern that brought us together,' Gale warmed the old woman's withering hand in his. The surface was like crepe paper, threatening to disintegrate at any moment, 'I vowed never to harm her. That cannot change.'

'My sweet daughter... Did I build a failed state?' Lurja muttered to the ceiling. Gale wanted to rebut her: no! You saved the country from a tyrant like King Desmond who would collude with an occult gang like the Black fang to assassinate his own son! He had studied the details in history books while preparing for the written exams to become a Dragon Lord. Instead, he remained silent, pressing his mother-in-law's hand. She was clearly not addressing him anyway, 'Miledy... I may be ignorant about this new world... But, please... Don't fight with your brother...' Wrinkles stitched her lips into a weary smile, 'don't fight with Zeiss...'

So that was Lady Lurja's worst fear: that her children will war against one another. Her facial muscles were frozen in a smile, like she was picturing Zeiss and Miledy as children when they have just made up after a squabble over toys or turns to fly on a wyvern.

'Lady Lurja,' Gale whispered in her ear, 'I promise... Zeiss and Miledy will never war against each other. So please... Don't despair.'

Lurja's trembling eyelids opened a slit to glance at Gale. Her lips parted but were too weak to utter anything. Unable to hold on any longer, her eyes sealed shut.