When she returned to the Rainbow Cloud Wetlands once more, Larkspur's emotions had settled down a great deal, though she was still deep in thought.
Rationally speaking, she knew very well that most of the things Emerald had cautioned her about were correct; indeed, if she were to stand as a third party to judge everything she faced right now, she might have given advice similar to Emerald's.
However, when matters involved the Garden Defense War, and when everything before her eyes gradually overlapped with the phantoms of twenty years ago, Larkspur realized that she might be far less rational than she imagined.
The conspiracies of Claw Mark and Black Ash Dawn were definitely nothing good, so she could not possibly allow them to act unchecked. The responses of the Magic Affairs Institute and the Research Institute were only natural; even though there were selfish motives mixed in, it could by no means be called a bad thing.
So the problem undoubtedly lay with her own self.
What kind of feeling was it precisely that made her so reluctant to be directly hostile toward these "City Defense Army traitors"?
Perhaps it was because her view of these "old teammates" always carried a certain filter of memories.
Because they had once risked their lives for the same goal, because they had once fought against the same enemy, because they had once tasted the same pain and sorrow... too many "sames" made her can't help but view herself and them as similar kinds of people.
She knew very well that people changed, and even Ink Lotus, who had traveled with her just days ago and exchanged many words, might simply be putting on an acting performance. Appearing like an idealist on the surface while actually being a heinous executioner in secret... she