"We can't rely on anyone else anymore."
Morning sunlight fell over Seaside Town, where cooking smoke mingled with sea mist.
The harvest season had passed, but strange domes were rising over the barren land north of Free City.
Olmedo looked away from the view outside her window and toward Annan, who was wheeling Idelia in.
"Did something happen?"
Idelia laid her soft hand over Annan's where he gripped the wheelchair handle.
"Yeah... The Holy Council met last night. Those people were still bickering. In the end, all they did was send a Joint Investigation Team to the Fortress."
Just thinking about how he had tried to work with those people made Annan sick.
This was Middle Earth, separated from Wilhelm by only the Obiris Strait. If Chaos reached this place... there would be no reason for the Saint Laurent Calendar to keep counting.
Especially if humanity's ugly selfishness was what let it happen.
Annan even thought that, if it came to that, he would give up resisting and lead Free City over to Maria. He only wanted to be Free City's City Lord; he didn't care who ruled it. As for the trouble he had caused the Ratfolk and those he had killed... they probably wouldn't mind. After all, the Ratfolk fought among themselves all the time.
If Maria couldn't protect him, he would take Free City overseas and make it a free city in truth.
"It's hard for us to care about things far removed from our own lives..." Idelia said softly.
Ultimately, Allen Continent was too vast. A crisis in the Northern Frontier—especially in the West—wasn't their concern.
"Exactly. So I've made up my mind. I'll answer only to Free City, to my family, my friends, and my people..." Annan looked at Olmedo.
Idelia supported him. Now he