Edward's arm had been crushed, and Alphonse's armor had also been damaged. For the time being, neither side could fight.
Alphonse's condition had originally been easy to fix; any Alchemist could easily reconstruct it.
But aside from Edward, who could capture Alphonse's soul, only Xu Yue could handle the situation before them without causing any damage.
Edward certainly would not feel at ease letting anyone else do it.
"But with your arm like that, you can't use alchemy."
Roy looked at Edward and sighed.
"It's fine. I'll just go back and fix it."
"But the 'Scarred Man' has been wandering around nearby. Once you're alone, you'll likely become his target."
The Fullmetal Alchemist, stripped of his combat ability, was undoubtedly an excellent target. And Scar was not some moral fanatic who would give his enemies a fair fight. If he could deal with a target more easily, he certainly would not pass up the chance.
"We really need to arrange for someone to protect you..."
"I need to remain stationed in East Capital. I can't leave."
Roy pondered this.
And Riza, his adjutant, wore a deadpan expression as she said,
"I have to keep an eye on this incompetent man. I don't have time..."
That blunt remark made Roy's mouth twitch, yet somehow he was unable to refute it.
"I don't need any protection..."
Before Edward could finish, the office door was roughly shoved open, and a muscular man rushed in.
"Oh, little Edward! I happened to come to East Capital, and I have time, so I'll protect you!"
"No, don't!"
Edward had not wanted protection in the first place, and seeing Armstrong made him even more frantic.
But his resistance was futile. He had already been targeted and attacked several times—first by that group of strange Alchemists, then by