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[ CITY OF EIKRISE ]
Later in the day, I had ventured outside again, and to my surprise I found Ludwyhn still sticking around. He hadn't left yet to go back to his mead hall, or find some enemies to vanquish in the homeland. Instead, I saw him standing there on top of one of his mother's chapels and elevated myself up that way to the roof.
[LUDWYHN] "Mm? Oh, ah. Yew."
'What's on your mind, Ludwyhn?'
[LUDWYHN] "Agh, noffin'."
'Hm?'
I crossed my arms at him.
[LUDWYHN] "Mm... nn... I'm jus' lollygaggin'. I dun't know wottau'll do now."
'So it's a thing of boredom then.'
[LUDWYHN] "Yooshully, I'd jus' go back t'my hall and rouse the boys. Url' jests n' drink meself noom. Mabee' punch aroond witta' boys n' sing jolly songs. Or I'd go keel some enemies. Roit' now? Dun' feel like it. Dun' feel like anythin'. Mabee' I'd shuld' go talk t'mum, or the odders. Mabee' I shuld' get t'knu the odders ere' better. I jus' dun' know."
'Is it because of Sivil?'
[LUDWYHN] "Tch! ...It ain't erry' dae a feckin' Mohal' of all things has yew strugglin' to hang on."
'Mm. He was a hard fight for me too. I... wouldn't have won if I kept just trying to match him blow for blow. It's funny, because once he couldn't fight back, he went down so easily. He's like a glass cannon, I guess you'd say.'
[LUDWYHN] "Hmph! A glass cannon. Snrt!"
Ludwyhn sighed and stared at the roof of the chapel, then he looked to me.
I had busied myself lifting a finger for the cuckoo birds of Eikrise to land on. I was fond of these creatures, and they were fond of me too. Every time I left the Bunker, it seems they followed me around.
I looked back at him since I felt his curious gaze, and he looked away.
[LUDWYHN] "Aieee... jus' dun' knu'. I jus' dun' feel like the yooshul. Why?"
'Burn out?'
[LUDWYHN] "Ardly'."
'Then maybe it's because you're still reeling from the defeat.'
[LUDWYHN] "Eh?"
'You still feel it.'
[LUDWYHN] "What're yew gettin' at?"
'These last two battles changed you. When you were defeated by me, you broke down in tears... On the other hand, when you were defeated by Sivil, you were scared. But, after I defeated him and he broke down, you must had saw in him yourself that day from when I defeated you. You didn't feel the need to chastise him or make fun of him, or finish him off brutally, like the Ludwyhn I faced in the Mead River did.'
[LUDWYHN] "Yew sayin' I've lost me touch?"
'I'm saying you grew up.'
[LUDWYHN] "...Ah... o-oh..."
'The Ludwyhn now doesn't want to do what the Ludwyhn from before would have. Go drinking with friends to drown the sorrows and hurt of the arse, pretend it didn't happen. Or cope about the defeat by going to go kill some Ashigarus as a weak way to rebuild a fragile self-esteem. The Ludwyhn now wants to grow up even more. That's what you really feel like. You want to do something else that would bring you... better peace of mind.'
