>>5653462>“How is Dimitri these days? I haven’t seen him since the battle at Bulgar. I recall that he wasn’t…exactly himself back then. Is he doing any better now?”Mercedes purses her lips. Her eyes are no longer on you, but on the various soldiers present. After the injured man that she was healing takes his leave and the two of you are finally left alone does she finally answer your question. “The Dimitri you knew from the Academy is long gone, Blair. The changes were subtle at first. Small ticks, here and there. A dark comment or a foul mood. But as the war has stretched and more lives have been lost, I’m afraid he’s been completely consumed by his desire for vengeance against Edelgard. He trusts no one, and he’s become fixated on this march, so much so that he was willing to abandon whatever territory the Kingdom had left to embark on it. The battle at Gronder is to be the Kingdom’s final do or die moment. There’s nothing he isn’t willing to sacrifice, including his own life, if it means destroying Edelgard.”
>“The morale around camp seemed to be…exceedingly low.”“Can you blame them?” Mercedes gives an exasperated sigh. “They’re all loyal knights of Faerghus who will follow their king to hell and back. They have been fighting the Empire for years and have seen many of their friends and family perish in battle. All they have left is to place whatever is left of their faith in Dimitri and give it all one final push. I fear that they’ve made peace with the situation and are ready to die out there.”
>“Is there anything we can do? Surely this can’t be as hopeless of a situation as you’re making it seem. What of Leicester? I know that Claude had proposed that the Kingdom form an Alliance with them. With the two of our forces combined, we’d stand a much greater chance of achieving victory.”Mercedes shakes her head solemnly. “Perhaps you are right, but Dimitri does not trust Claude. He thinks him a schemer. He holds a grudge against Claude for not doing more to fight against the Empire, and even believes that he may be plotting to take advantage of the Kingdom in its weakened state. To use us as a buffer against the Empire and then to swoop in once we’ve exhausted them. Whether that’s true or not, it’s what he believes, and there are few within this camp that would dare to question their King’s command.” She looks at you with sudden passion. “Blair, if you are to meet with Dimitri, you must not try and provoke him. I know that you’re coming from the Alliance, and I know that you have your own ideas about how this battle should be run. But you must understand, he’s made up his mind already. This battle will proceed the way Dimitri wishes it to. I fear that if you antagonize him, it may spell trouble for you.”
