A Wager on the Future

The Yaga fell silent. They needed time to think.

Not every Yaga was as rational as Patsy. What was still missing was the most important voice: one from within the Yaga themselves.

Patsy had not spoken from beginning to end, nor had he shown any agitation. Yuan Shikai had wagered everything on him.

Last time, Patsy had been able to point the lost Ritsuka Fujimaru in the right direction. Yuan Shikai believed he would make a wise choice this time as well.

After a long while, Patsy finally rose to his feet.

Patsy: "When I was little, I once saw an old Yaga performer. He made people laugh to win their sympathy and begged for food."

"But he was mocked instead. Yaga needed nothing but strength. I do not know when it began, but Yaga lost the smiles that came from the heart. This world has nothing left but strength."

"My father was falsely accused and beaten to death. My mother was beaten to death too, because of her dementia. Other than staying alive, I had long since lost any reason to live."

"I thought I had already seen through life and death, until I witnessed the Tsar fighting that golden, white-faced beast. Until the clouds in the sky were blasted apart by their battle. Until that ray of sunlight shone down."

"That sunlight was so scorching. How wonderful would it be to bask in the sun every day? At that moment, I found a reason to live once more. If there is anything left in this world for me to pursue, it is that ray of sunlight."

"You just said that if this Lostbelt is removed, we might die in an instant. But we might also return to that freezing land and continue struggling to survive, with everything that