"Do you know? Back then, our Hamel Village still lay within the borders of the Empire."
"Back then, Joshua, his sister Karin Astray, and I lived happily together."
"I worked hard at sword practice to become a bracer. Joshua was only five at the time, and what he loved most was sitting on the grass, listening to his sister Karin play The Whereabouts of Stars."
"Yes. I practiced my sword nearby while Karin played the harmonica, and Joshua listened quietly. That was the greatest happiness we had back then."
"Karin and I had already secretly pledged ourselves to each other. Once I became a bracer, she would marry me. We were both waiting for that day to come, but what I never expected was that we would never live to see it..."
"One bright afternoon, while I was practicing my sword, I suddenly heard gunfire. Then, a group of people carrying Kingdom-made orbal guns charged into the village! They killed everyone they saw. The men were slaughtered outright, while the women suffered an even more miserable fate..."
"I rushed to Karin and Joshua and fled with them! To make sure they could escape safely, I deliberately stayed behind to cover their retreat. The three of us ran toward the village entrance together. We thought we would survive if we made it there, but those attackers had planned more thoroughly than we imagined... They had actually left someone behind specifically to intercept and kill fleeing villagers!"
"When I arrived, all I saw was Karin holding Joshua, a beautiful smile in her eyes. For some reason, Joshua was holding a gun in his hands, and standing before him was the man responsible for intercepting the villagers..."
"Karin gave her harmonica to Joshua, and from that moment onward, Joshua's heart shattered. I entrusted