>>5512945>“It’s natural to feel that you’re in over your head. It sounds as though you were plunged into a situation you never could have imagined you’d see yourself in. My advice to you is to find some competent juniors and form an officer core around them. I’m not some sort of savant that naturally picked up everything on her own. I had help from people like Diana and Shelley, who made up for my shortcomings. If you try to shoulder the burden all by yourself, you won’t last long. These girls want to succeed just as bad as you do, and they’ll work with you to make it happen.” Mary sits on your words for a moment, absorbing them in. Finally, you see her smile for the first time in the short while you’ve known her. “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll take your advice to heart. The next time you see us, expect us to be much stronger than we are now. You can count on it.”
>“I look forward to that! I think deep down in her heart, Diana still wishes to be a Knight of Seiros. So, make sure you make a squad that she can be proud to join one day.”After leading instruction for a few hours, you and your girls take your leave of the cadets. Feeling good about how you left them, you make a mental note to swing by Leopold and claim your reward.
The next day, the war council that you were asked to join is set to convene. You wake early, and head towards Garreg Mach’s chapel. While you’ve been inside the chapel for service before, you’ve never been inside the sprawling room you find yourself in. Apparently, it’s frequently used for matters of grave importance relating to the Church of Seiros and its knights. As you take your place next to Judith, you briefly wonder how you ended up here. Returning to Garreg Mach has really driven home just how far you’ve come.
Seated in the room are Seteth and Byleth, both of whom are representing the Knights of Seiros. Ferdinand is also present, representing his contingent of soldiers.
“Before we begin, I’d like to thank the two of you again for your support.” Seteth says to you and Judith. “Already, the much-needed supplies that you’ve brought us are being distributed amongst the troops. That’s not to speak of the additional manpower you’ve provided, which has helped to greatly ease many of our burdens. With your aid and the recent success that we’ve enjoyed, I believe it is time we take advantage of our momentum and go on the offensive against the Empire.”
“I believe Claude is the one you should be thanking. Much of this was in part to his own planning. Now, believe me, I’m as happy as anyone to see how well you’ve been sticking it to Edelgard and her cronies. But do you really believe you’re ready to invade the Empire?” Judith says.
