☀️ Arselia and Akonia

- She was from Noir. I suppose it won't be easy for a dragon to attack an underground city.
- Those born to fly underground can't crawl, and so on, - Kalina interjected.
- So, Carneol has two options: either go to the border with Farellia and hope for the best, or go to Kridear and wait for Despair to arrive... which guarantees massive casualties and horrific destruction. Evacuation is probably not an option either, as it could prompt the enemy to strike elsewhere...

"Yes... For example, right at the evacuating crowds. Perhaps, if they didn't have informants, and if they could do everything in advance, they could deceive by simulating normal city activity? But no, that's naive. To catch the dragon at an intermediate point? Yeah, right. It's unlikely he'll fly in a straight line."

-- I heard that in the first hunt for the Apostle, Carneol was helped by a certain priestess from Mitsurugi, and she had an item that attracted the Apostle's madness, which, among other things, decided the battle. If we had such an item, we could set up camp near the supposed strike location... and make him attack us instead. However, even then, there's no guarantee, as the "annihilator" profession of Despair may grant him immunity...

The girl tried to think again.

-- Of course, we don't have a good and reliable option. Distraction? Where would we get more green auras? Perhaps some items have them; I haven't really thought about it, but technically, it would be difficult to correctly choose the distance between our location and the distraction location, so that we can both catch the dragon and divert the priest's attention where it needs to go. To camouflage a cannon battery in the nearby mountains, preventing the priests from emerging from their shelters and looking at the sky? There are difficulties, both technical, because the enemy has aerial reconnaissance, and even political; Farellia will take it badly... if it hasn't already declared war on us, of course. -- Erefir was slightly embarrassed that, with all the fuss, she was missing such an important news item.

-- But the loss of Kridear means that even a subsequent victory over the dragon will weaken the Empire; people will decide that they are cheap pawns in this war, and they will be right. I want to find another way. Either we really have to hope that we will be far enough from the priest, but close enough to the dragon. Perhaps, if we knew the future, perhaps if we could accurately predict its trajectory, we could catch it in the middle of the path... No, even being within the priest's area of effect, I find acceptable, as long as we have time to kill the scaled beast before we are destroyed by something else. I don't know what my comrades will say, but I would prioritize that. If, however, as a result of the risk we take, we lose completely... What does the Suzerain say about this?

-- It's a pity, of course, that the blessings don't protect us, because aren't the saints stronger than a priest-partisan, and shouldn't their authority in Anush be higher? -- a smile.

- No, no, thank you. Although, perhaps, if you allow, I would take a few cookies with me, for a friend. After all, I really walked around the city yesterday, but I couldn't find where to buy treats. You're lucky with your cook.

-- Of course, take whatever you want.

- Ah, so that's how it is...

A slightly questioning look, what riddle did he solve for himself... Could it be that he doesn't believe in the Anush nature of the redhead either? Oh well, what has she done 🤭