What Flo meant by the Cruzians were, naturally, the southern Cruzian nobles led by Count Orcons. After arriving at Fatan Port, these southern nobles had behaved themselves at first, probably because they knew they were already tied to Brando on the same ship. The Jorgendigon and Lionmen armies in the south might overrun the Evergreen Corridor at any moment. If they did not cling tightly to the Eluin fleet now, would that not be courting death?
On top of that, news of the civil war in the Bankel region had arrived. Her Majesty the Queen had split the Temple and suddenly proclaimed herself the heir of the Dark Dragon, leaving them at a loss. A faith that had been deeply rooted for a thousand years had collapsed in a single day. No one could accept such a thing easily. Thus, at the beginning, Count Orcons and the others had still stood united against their common enemy, honestly restraining and managing Fatan Port's minor officials while actively contacting the northern nobles, trying to seek an alliance against that mad Queen.
But as the war took a sharp turn for the worse, the nobles east of Metz proved utterly unable to resist the Queen's advance, suffering defeat after defeat. It seemed that almost in the blink of an eye, the New Temple's army had reached Ludwig's gates. Although they had yet to clash with the Black Legion, they had already gained an enormous advantage in the situation. Moreover, Veronica was under house arrest, and the Azure Legion had been unable to respond to the northern nobles' "rebellion." Before long, defeated noble soldiers retreating from the front could often be seen along the Fatan front.
All kinds of rumors began to spread. First, the nobles of Cloak Bay had defected. Then several unfamiliar