In the end, I wasn't able to get any details from Remi.
Although we are old acquaintances, she couldn't tell me things that involve military secrets.
The information I received was at a level that even ordinary citizens are aware of.
"Then, Touri, please wait patiently for peace to come."
Remi said this, smiling brightly as she embraced me.
"Unfortunately, I can't send you back to Austin right now. The land route to the Tar River is still under the control of the government forces."
"Yes."
"But don't worry. This time, we will definitely get you back to your homeland."
She promised to return me to Austin.
It was probably a roundabout way of telling us that they were about to attack the Eastern Command Headquarters.
"Just as you once brought me to this land. I will now repay the kindness you showed me then."
"…Thank you."
"But someday, I believe the day will come when you too will say that you would like to live in this country."
After responding with a vague smile to Remi's words…
I quickly left her room, almost as if escaping.
***
After that, I began cooperating with the Workers' Council not as a prisoner, but as a civilian.
I was in a delicate position since I was a former Austin soldier whom the Sabbatians hated and resented.
However, the Workers' Council had just announced an alliance with Austin.
No matter how much they hated me, no one tried to harm me.
"There's another body here."
"There are signs of torture on this one too. How shameless."
"How can an army that claims to be a government do such things?"
After the government forces left, the revolutionary forces were very busy securing food, treating the wounded, and re-establishing infrastructure.
Magical bombardment had destroyed the waterways, causing the water supply to be cut off in many areas.
Manual water transportation began as an emergency measure.
Food was also scarce, so hunters went out to hunt bears almost every day.
It was my first time seeing a bear being butchered.
"…I would like to perform surgery on this patient. Can anyone help?"
"I'll come in once I've finished treating this person!"
I was assigned to the hospital as a civilian collaborator and was entrusted with treating the injured.
I worked tirelessly as a way of giving back to the people who treated me after I was shot.
"I feel complicated about being treated by an Aust."
"I have no qualms about treating Sabbatians."
Perhaps due to the alliance declaration, there were hardly any patients who directed malice at me, unlike in Othello Village.
Though, there weren't any who spoke to me in a friendly manner either.
Their true feelings were likely, "As long as I'm healed, it doesn't matter who does it."
"Do you feel any pain anywhere?"
"A little bit at the spot you cut."
"Then I'll give you some more painkillers. It'll hurt tonight."
I was able to work tirelessly as a healer for the first time in a while.
…It reminded me of the days at the Marshdale field hospital, staying up all night treating my comrades.
Facing patients, working desperately day and night.
Thanks to that, I became somewhat friendly with the hospital staff, exchanging occasional conversations.
"Hey, Touri. There are almost no patients left. Why don't you take a little rest?"
"No, it's fine. This is nothing."
And so, I continued to work compulsively at the hospital, almost as if I was fleeing from something.
***
Let me briefly talk about the situation in the Sabbath at that time.
Having repelled the offensive from Eastern Command, the Workers' Council had risen to become the most powerful faction within the Sabbath.
Now that Austin recognized the Workers' Council as the government, Remi Ulyakov had become the true ruler of the Sabbath.
Remi's near-complete control over the Sabbatian military was also significant.
Originally, the majority of the country's soldiers were based in Eastern and Southern Commands, located near the border with Austin.
So, once she had defeated and subjugated both the Eastern and Southern Command Headquarters, there were no more military forces opposing her.
In other words, the recent Battle of Josegrad was in fact the decisive battle for control within the Sabbath.
Since the government forces were defeated in that battle, a regime change was achieved.
By the way, the strategy for attacking the Southern Command was through an undercover operation.
Southern Command was conquered through internal collusion.
Remi reportedly met with General Truk, who came to attack, and converted his ideology, leading him to surrender.
Meeting her one-on-one was very risky after all.
The Battle for Josegrad was a close call even for the Workers' Council.
Even Remi reportedly turned pale when the government forces surged into the streets of Josegrad with tremendous momentum.
At one point, they even discussed whether they should commit suicide among the leadership, thinking, "This is the end."
However, with Bern Valou's advice, they managed to make the government forces retreat all at once.
At the time, I never found out what kind of scheme was behind that declaration of alliance, or why Sylph was forced to retreat.
It was only much later that I learned of the negotiations and maneuvering that had taken place behind the scenes.
***
As a result of this battle, the Eastern Command's forces were almost completely destroyed.
The reckless march led to a large number of deserters and stragglers, the poorly planned offensive wasted military strength, and the meaningless retreat broke the soldiers' spirits.
Additionally, Sylph, who served as the strategist for the government forces in this battle, lost her prestige almost instantly.
Once on the verge of becoming a key figure in the campaign to conquer Austin, her presence was nothing but a hindrance to the new government, which chose a friendly path with Austin.
For Remi, who wanted clear-cut "'villains" to take the blame, the commanders of the former government forces were perfect scapegoats.
Among them, Sylph's bad reputation was deeply rooted. Most citizens believed the false rumor that the massacres were on her orders.
Perhaps Truk's personal grudge, after being thoroughly humiliated by her, played a part as well.
The casualties on both sides in this battle were tremendous.
According to records, Eastern Command's forces, which numbered 50,000, were reduced to just 10,000 by the time they returned.
In fact, more than 80% of the soldiers either dropped out, died, or deserted. In modern warfare, where an army is considered decimated if over 30% of its soldiers are killed or wounded, the severity of these losses is clear.
On the other hand, the total number of casualties among the volunteers who fought on the side of the Workers' Council and the soldiers of Southern Command is said to be 70,000.
However, these are only the casualties of soldiers; if we include civilian casualties who were caught up in the fighting, or who died from massacres or starvation, the total number is said to be nearly 200,000.
This means that one in five people in Josegrad was affected. The ferocity and horror of the battle are clearly evident.
Sylph was truly a genius, being able to inflict such damage with a small force of only 50,000.
Whether or not this was the ending she desired is another matter.
Both sides were in tatters, but the Workers' Council's morale remained high.
Even after the government forces retreated, their spirits were high, and they were eager to march out and strike before the enemy could regroup.
"The government forces wreaked havoc on the city and then left."
"My father would still be alive if it weren't for them."
"I won't forgive them. I can't forgive them."
Their anger was understandable. Their beloved family members and friends had been harmed.
However… knowing Sylph's true intentions, I can't help but feel frustrated.
She had just wanted to wake up the citizens who had been deceived by the monster called Remi Ulyakov.
In addition…
"We don't have the supplies to launch an offensive right now. We'll have to wait until spring."
"…"
To appease such citizens, a high-ranking official (probably General Truk) issued an edict.
For now, it should be peaceful during the winter.
***
To be honest, I wanted to chase after Sylph and reunite with Sedol as soon as possible.
However, I seemed to be under suspicion, always being watched by someone.
I would probably have been shot if I had gone outside the city alone.
I was protected by Remi and her group, but at the same time, I was under surveillance.
"Don't worry, we will capture the Eastern Command Headquarters in the spring offensive. We will protect your friends."
That's the response I got when I asked Remi about the residents of Othello Village.
As long as I believed her words, the Workers' Council had no intention of harming the citizens of the refugee camp.
No, perhaps as the person leading the Sabbath, Remi felt that she couldn't afford to harm the citizens.
"…"
But, if Remi were to unify the Sabbath…
It's not hard to imagine what would happen if the residents of Othello Village, who strongly opposed the Workers' Council, rebelled against her policies.
My intuition tells me that she is someone who would mercilessly kill others for the sake of her ideals.
────Take Sedol and escape the country at all costs.
With this sense of unease in my heart, I continued to spend busy days at the Sabbatian field hospital as a simple civilian healer.
***
A large shipment of relief supplies arrived in Josegrad just as winter was about to end.
Large quantities of food, weapons, and ammunition were being transported from Southern Command, a granary area in the southern part of the Sabbath.
This meant that the citizens of Josegrad no longer had to scramble to secure food and allowed them to prepare for the upcoming battle.
"Mother, I'm off to build a new Sabbath."
"Please take care of yourself."
Young men in the city volunteered to serve in the Revolutionary Army almost entirely of their own volition.
Determined never to let the demonic forces of the Sabbatian government enter Josegrad again, they were brimming with resolve.
It was heartbreaking to see kids younger than me lining up in simple winter gear while carrying real guns.
I shot a child soldier in the previous battle.
Without hesitation, I shot a young child, full of hope and with a gun in his hand, right in the chest.
Driven by my selfish desire to survive and see Sedol again, I turned someone's beloved child into a lifeless corpse.
I believed that a peaceful life with Sedol awaited beyond that.
Within the Sabbath, within a foreign land, I would be able to find the peace I had dreamed of.
Believing that, I shot the boy soldier.
In the end, killing that child meant nothing.
After all, the Sabbatian government forces lost.
Left behind by the retreating Sabbath army, I was left with nothing but the fact that I had committed meaningless mass murder.
"…Remi. If you are going to war, please put me in the medical department."
"Touri?"
"Even if just a little, I hope that my efforts can save even one soldier's life."
"Oh my."
The more I tried to think deeply about the Battle of Josegrad, the more I felt nauseous and dizzy, as if I might collapse.
For someone like me, who had barely ever fired a weapon as a medic, the weight of this fact was overwhelming.
If the other person had been a determined soldier prepared to die, perhaps the emotional toll wouldn't have been as severe.
But I had meaninglessly killed young, hopeful child soldiers who were filled with hope and had merely been incited to fight.
"…Touri, are you okay? You look terrible."
"Yes, I have… experienced this before."
If I'm not working, if I'm not thinking about something else, I feel like I'm going crazy.
This gloomy sensation of the world spinning is familiar to me.
And I know what to do when it happens.
────I need to hug someone I can feel safe with and sleep soundly.
"But… Rodri isn't here."
"Touri…?"
"He's no longer here."
There is no one in Josegrad who can help me.
Here, I am a straggler left behind.
I can't trust anyone here—not Remi, nor the healers around me.
"I want to see Sedol soon…"
"Touri…"
"Please, put me in the military's medical department."
So, I pleaded.
I made my request to Remi Ulyakov, who was preparing to go to war.
Thus…
In the following spring, I joined the Revolutionary Army as a volunteer medic.