Honkai Impact 3rd: Don't Die For Me/ Book 3 Paradise

Chapter 88 Conversion

<Docks>

"Cohline, Alice, you two will be managing the injured. The east water gate is open for the next few days. Take the weakest with you. Outside the city head south, the farms. You'll hide out there. Roxanne has already moved supplies to those villages."

"Roxanne?"

"An ally. On our last visit, she sheltered me and,"

Kallen didn't feel the need to finish her sentence. His name stirred emotions not fit for battle. As long as the Black Rose was neutralized in the city Kallen could end the war. Pleading with her uncle and marking off the newly announced church as a mistake would result in zero lives lost. It was strange, no matter what she did the world and those who viewed it sought to pit her against him. Unfair it was, that she was forced to settle with a lie.

"Those capable of fighting."

Kallen again didn't need to say anything. Even Alice who was listening to her attentively was scarfing down every morsel of food in sight. A starved pack of wolves, Kallen couldn't help but clutch her stomach before signaling Sakura to come closer.

"Do I always eat like that?" Kallen whispered.

A dangerous whisper that sprawled up lust into Sakura's heart. Acting so cutely was a crime. Becoming more self-conscious may inherently be a more negative than neutral change but here it was a positive one.

"No, you're elegant."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat, and Kallen looked at her distrustfully. Yes, she trained and drilled in dinner matters, but the few Valkyries who observed their little discussion shook their heads. Viewing their captain as a cute drama star came with many peculiarities. For one, in unserious conversations, they often shifted to whichever side would make her open up. Sakura shot the few who sided against her a cold look. Their conversation was a private affair, giving her precious time to spend with Kallen.

"I need you to scout their forces. Our battles must be covert and free of populated areas. Could you do that for me, please?"

Sakura nodded but her mood was soured. She stood stiff leaning against the brittle warehouse walls, not caring for the woodchips that entered her hair.

"Thank you. It's almost over." Kallen sighed, almost reading Sakura's thoughts. "Olivia and Ava, they'll come out fine. My uncle will roll back his policies and peace will be ours again."

"His policies?"

"I've come to realize he's heavy-handed. Hands for a pauper thief. Execution for a peaceful protest. I can't make the ultimate decision. The more I think about it the state of the world doesn't sit well with me."

Sakura nodded but didn't respond. She couldn't trust herself. Of course, the world was in turmoil. It was his fault. Him, and his sacrificial nature. Why did he think so little of himself? Sakura couldn't understand as she read the books he loved, as she played with the toys he made, and as she met with the people he helped. Whose fault was it that the most brilliant mind in the world couldn't see his own worth? Whose fault was that?

She didn't have much longer to ponder the query to this question. Perhaps the answer was close by? Sakura above all wanted to know. To protect the weak and innocent, she understood why it was a choice she'd stand by. It wasn't set in stone that everyone she protected was innocent. Most people would do evil things in the name of justice. Most people would step back from confronting evil. But for those who did, it only took one person to bring out the best of them. How would the villagers feel if they found out that Sakura had no desire for revenge anymore? In her heart, perhaps she was ready to forgive them. At the very least she understood them.