79. Leaving Home

Hey, wait up!

Stara? You need something?

Come with me, eh?

Uh, wait...

No one will disturb us here. Um... thanks for what you did back there.

What?

If you hadn't supported me in front of the Lieutenant... I wouldn't have been able to join you on the mission. So I wanted to thank you...

Uh, I just honestly think we'll be safer with a native Eastrise citizen with us. Besides, I understand how it feels to be homesick.

Still, since there's only the two of us here, won't you tell me?

Uh... tell you what?

What's going on between you and the Watchtower? Judging from how you acted just now, you definitely have ties with them.

I want to trust you... and to do that, I need the whole truth.

Ahaha, I knew you would ask. Still, I don't suppose I'd mind if it's you.

I... once worked for the Watchtower.

I thought so. I deduced it from the previous conversation.

What kind of reaction was that? I thought you'd be a bit more surprised.

Well, I only learned about the Watchtower today, so...

You're even more ignorant than the others say. Should I feel relieved or be annoyed by the lack of reaction?

Heh, might as well tell me more about the Watchtower now. Even though we're supposed to steer clear of them, it doesn't hurt to learn more about them now that we're going to Eastrise.

...True. I'll tell you everything I know, then.

Firstly, the leader of the Watchtower is called Chiraha. She once worked under Mahiru, Raeon's mother and chairwoman of the Joint Council.

However, after Raeon took over, Chiraha chose to oppose her for the sake of the people of Eastrise.

Chiraha is beautiful, wise and composed. Countless followers have gathered around her because of her charisma.

Sounds like an excellent woman.

The right-hand woman of Chiraha is called Yanling. She's a tactical genius, also known as the ''Barrier of Eastrise'' and the ''Goddess of Strategy''.

She's a bit eccentric in real life, though... not at all like what you'd expect from a ''Goddess of Strategy''.

...I see the Watchtower is an interesting bunch. Come to think of it, how did you end up part of the Watchtower in the beginning?

Back when I was in Eastrise, I owned a glassware boutique. My shop is in the shopping district to the west of the Forbidden City. I always had sparkling, exquisite glasswares displayed.

However... due to the Calamity and the wars... business had slowed considerably. After all, glass shatters easily, especially in such tumultuous times.

Most citizens were having a hard time just surviving. None of them had money to spend on luxury products.

Even if they had, they would have spent it on sturdy items that wouldn't be smashed easily in a war. It was only natural.

...So that was why business slowed and you closed the shop?

That's right. As you'd expect, I was feeling rather down back then. And then I met Chiraha and Yanling.

As I just said, I was full of hatred for everything in the world... But when I saw the two of them, life didn't seem so hopeless after all. So I decided to join the Watchtower in their quest to take down Raeon.

So that was what happened, huh... What brought you to Teslovik, then?

As for that... well, please don't laugh at me for my lack of conviction, okay?

After participating in Watchtower activities for a while, I came to an epiphany one day: ''My passion still lies in glass wares.''

I wanted to live somewhere where there were no wars... and live a life as a humble glassware artisan.

So I set off on a journey to seek another spot to open a new boutique... And then I learned about Teslovik. They said it's a utopia on earth, completely segregated from the rest of the world.

So you joined Teslovik in hopes of starting a life where you could create glassware in peace, huh?

Uh, that was just what motivated me in the beginning! Right now, I'm super loyal towards Teslovik and its ideals!

Studying Echo Crystals not to destroy others in wars but to eliminate the negative effects the Calamities bring... It's a meaningful job that allows me to help many others. An ideal I can truly identify with.

Well, now you know everything! How's that? Do you trust me now?

Of course! Thanks for telling me!