Specialty Change: Amiki

I've completed my rounds of the villages bordering the fort.

I supplied the villages with necessities and I've found a place to relocate the inhabitants of some old buildings that will be undergoing repair.

I've already received consent from the Shadow Elves who will be relocating to their temporary homes, so all that's left is to decide on the date.

Good work. I was especially worried about the villages you were assigned to since they were the most complicated of the bunch.

We may have agreed to get along, but that doesn't mean all those years of antagonism are just going to vanish overnight.

...And I never expected that I'd be assigned to those villages.

At first, some of the Shadow Elves expressed their dissent. I was able to convince them in the end, though.

Anyway, if anything noteworthy comes up, I'll report back to you.

Phew...

Home sweet home... And I was so excited the entire trip back thinking I'd finally get some time to myself...

But what are you doing in my house?

It's nice to see you, too.

Very NOT nice. I really, really wanted some rest, so why here to bother me!?

Bother you? What? No way. I'm just here to console and cheer you on.

Aw, thanks. I feel awesome. So would you mind walking yourself out now?

Woah, woah, are you saying you don't need someone like me anymore now that you've been promoted?

Argh, you know that's not what I meant!

...And don't go saying that to anyone else either. We don't know what will happen in the coming days.

I still can't get used to this. To think that peace would actually come to Erasia.

And that Leah wouldn't be here anymore.

I'm sorry, me?

We need someone to take the reins at the northern encampment. We anticipate there to be several issues of varying magnitudes over there.

The Slayers, no... You'll be doing the Recon's work. I want you in charge of leading them.

It's what Leah would have wanted, too.

And without even a moment to think, the role was forced onto me and I was shipped out soon after.

...I'm nowhere near ready. I don't even have a fraction of the confidence needed to fill Leah's shoes.

It was Leah herself who requested this.

It was written in her own will that if her position were ever to become vacant, the Slayer who will lead the north...

..."Would be Amiki," is what was written.

But why me though?

What exactly did Leah expect of me?

What are you on about? If not you, then who?

...That'll be up to others to decide. If I'm deemed unqualified, someone else will simply take my place.

I'm still in my probationary period, you know.

Is there a reason you're punishing yourself like this? Why are you so strapped to be in pain?

I know Leah certainly would not have wanted that.

Look, you have to learn to loosen up a little. Not everything you do has to be executed perfectly.

...

Now that even Veronica isn't here, you won't find me complaining if you ever aspire to be the head honcho of the Slayers either.

No freaking way!

...Yeah, it's normal to feel burdened by all this. I just...

What I'm getting at is that I trust you more than I trust even myself. If you can't believe me even when I've said this much, you're going to hurt my feelings, you know.

*sighing*... Yeah, yeah, I got it. I swear you bring up the weirdest things...

...I just have to do my best.

Where did you get this?

...

I won't get angry, so just tell me honestly.

Hmm, but your face says you're already at your boiling point.

...

I said, TELL ME!

Eep!

But you said you wouldn't get angry! Wahhh!

Then who gave you the bright idea to throw rocks, hm?!

They're not rocks! They said that they're protection charms!

Charms?

And everyone says that the Shadow Elves aren't our friends!

Although nothing seemed to change on the surface, I genuinely thought that time would cure these wounds.

But it turned out to be no more than mere wishful thinking.

So what you kids are saying is...some visitors came to the village and told a few scary stories...

And in those stories, they said you needed these rock...like charms if you wanted to fight the Shadow Elves?

Everyone here has their own charms!

If you need any, we can give you some, too!

I do NOT!

Actually, I've also heard about these things recentl...

Wha?! And you're bring this up NOW!?

Hey, I just thought it was some sales pitch from a few wandering merchants. How could I have known there was a bigger conspiracy at play here?

I just assumed they were here to do business...

...But they came here with a specific agenda.

The people here were granted asylum by the Shadow Elves, so that they could stay until their village was restored.

As much as some are grateful, there would undoubtedly be others who harbor insecurities and suspicions.

These "merchants" were targeting that.

Kids.

Yes?

Would you mind going and asking the adults where to buy these things? Tell them that there's a really interested buyer.

Wow! So you're going to buy them too!

Are you afraid of the Shadow Elves?

...Oh, yes, terrified. So make sure you find out for me, okay?

They certainly holed up pretty deep.

I'm surprised too. I pass by this area through the forest pretty often, but even I didn't notice this.

The inside is clear.

...They're probably out selling their wares. Such busybees.

...

What do you have there? You're staring at it like an idiot.

H-Huh?! W-W-Wait...!

...Seems they've got quite the grudge against me, judging by how they've scribbled all over my face like that.

I can't blame them though. After being enemies for so long and now being asked to coexist, as the poster girl leading the charge, I've become an outlet for their frustrations.

Who am I to argue when I don't even understand myself.

But I mean, how could they do such a thing, making our already scary-looking Amiki into an absolute demon like that...

Hey, I can totally hear you!

Regardless of the times though, I still don't condone their actions.

They were not doing this out of concern for people's well-being. Rather, they saw an opportunity to profit by exploiting others' fears.

And that's probably not the end of it.

They might even be gathering funds and people to start another conflict with the Shadow Elves.

...Again, not that I don't understand why they'd do so...

It seems like things have already escalated quite a bit. What would you have us do?

First, seize everything here. After that, we wait until they return and ambush...

Argh!

...?!

Hey, keep it together! These delinquents got to us first...!

Drop everything in your hands!

Hm, so you really want to have a go, huh?

How are you doing?

I'm fine. It's not like I was injured badly.

The doctor told me the injury on your hand is pretty deep. Why don't you take this opportunity and get some rest?

It's not in me to whine about my problems, unlike someone I know.

Y'know, whining would actually be more natural given your circumstances. I really thought things would turn out much worse back then.

Things could have ended peacefully, but you just had to make things worse.

Kgh...

That hidden storage was filled to the brim with explosives. Were you really planning to start another war?

Do you even realize how reckless and idiotic your plans were?

If another war were to start with the Shadow Elves, the only ones who become victims are the innocent and the weak.

So for what reason would you have to destroy the peace that we've managed to achieve for Erasia?

"Peace"? This slapdash counterfeit? What is the point of having it?

What?

How comfortable it must be to abide by your excuses.

We feign co-existence on the outside, but in truth, you all chose them over us.

Because they are stronger than us.

This is ridiculous...

Hold on a second, Ezra.

...You. What do you mean we chose them?

The scars that they've inflicted on us still fester. The families we've lost, our friends, our villages, all of it.

None of this has been attended to, and suddenly you spout peace and co-existence? Spare me your twisted lies.

...

And you're probably thinking, "will this bring back those we lost"? No, that is not what we fight for.

We are not looking to come out on top. All we want is to make them suffer and writhe, regardless of how little.

So...if you're going to try and indoctrinate us with your blinded morals...

Amiki!

*winces*

Amiki, what have I always said?

The ones we are in conflict with are the Shadow Elves from Skuggiheim, not all Shadow Elves in general.

We fight against the discrimination and oppression of the Shadow Elves and Vampires, who persecute Humans for being the weakest race on the continent.

How are your actions any different from theirs?

...

I understand it's difficult to separate Shadow Elves from Skuggiheim, especially when we've been at war for so long.

But the purpose of this conflict isn't to blindly stoke hatred. I refuse to ignore the truth, even in the heat of the moment.

Don't let revenge cloud your judgment.

...I'm fine.

What?

It was just a scratch.

...Anything else you want to add?

Now that you've shoved that dagger you've been hiding into my arm, you're out of things to stab me with, no?

...

Well, I do understand where you're coming from. I too lost my family and friends to the Shadow Elves.

...But I could never heal those wounds no matter how many Shadow Elves I fought and killed.

So no matter how much you vow vengeance and vent your hatred, you'll never able escape the emotional pit that you've dug for yourselves through fighting.

What do you all truly desire...? Is it really the complete eradication of the Shadow Elves?

No matter who it is? Even the innocent and the weak?

...

If you don't want to be another cog in this never-ending cycle, you must go a different direction.

Continuing to fight as we did before won't solve anything.

I don't expect my words to easily sway your decisions or resolve. You lot obviously wouldn't have started all this on a whim.

But if you understand what I'm trying to say and want to find an answer together, you can come find me anytime.

The least I can promise is that I will not make your decision end in vain.

Whew, like straight out of a stage play! You, standing there blood dripping from your hand, making such a charismatic promise...!

...Any word on how they're doing?

At first, I really didn't understand when you wanted to leave them just like that. I thought for sure you'd arrest and punish them.

But they really came through.

...Really?

Oho? And here I thought you were oh-so-confident you'd convinced them.

There's no way I can predetermine how people will act. I just did what I felt I had to do at the time.

All I knew was that I wouldn't have been able to change their minds if I dragged them here forcefully.

Because I've been there before.

Then all of that was you exemplifying how magnanimous you could be so that they'd be awed into following you?

Hmm, where have I seen this before?

Enough joking around. So where are they now?

Thinking of meeting them right away?

It'll be easier to lead the conversation while I'm still recovering from the injury they gave me.

*dramatic gasp* Amiki, are you...

What?! I see a chance, I take it!

I'm so proud of you! Thinking about strategies to overcome situations! Oh, how much you've grown.

I'm sure that if Leah were here, she'd be gleaming with pride right now.

...

Well, as important as resolving everything is, we still have that event to attend to, so try not to get hurt until then.

Ugh, don't remind me. I still haven't come to terms with how embarrassing it's going to be.

Your appointment ceremony may have been pulled up a few days because of everything that's happened, but at least you'll be done with it sooner than later.

...Ugh, I really don't want to... I'm not really for all this!

I'm already tired of my job managing things here, so what makes them think I wanted to be the captain!

Well, too late now. Your contributions were just that commendable!

Your time and place just happened to be now. Just don't feel too burdened by it.

If it were that easy, I wouldn't be so irritated right now...

Even I find it awkward knowing I'll have to call you Captain, but hey, here we are. Just ride the wave.

Oh right, you've at least finished the speech you'll be giving at the ceremony, right?

...No. I think I've gone through over several hundreds of paper.

Would you like me to be your ghostwriter?

As if!

You're disappointed in me, aren't you?

Yeah.

Ahaha! That's why I like you, Amiki. Always so honest.

You already knew what my response would be, so what's the point in lying?

It's not like you wanted to hear anything else.

...One of the most frequent pieces of advice I've received throughout my life is probably to stop sitting on the fence about everything and pick a side.

I'm sure there were times when my attempts to see things as objective as possible inadvertently hurt others.

...

However, I don't want to turn my rage and my discriminated past into a vengeance-fueled fight.

The fight I intend to lead will be an exemplification, one that represents all those who were segregated and discriminated against for being the weakest in these Erasian lands.

A fight not for me, but for the people, and beyond that, the world.

And if I ever find myself needing their help, I will ask for it.

Whether it be the Shadow Elves or the Vampires, it matters not.

As long as everyone involved can help make this dream a reality.

...Everyone...

But...what dream?

To rid these lands of discrimination and bring peace to Erasia.

And you think that's possible? Here in Erasia?

Who can say? Only time will tell.

That night, Leah laid there on the meadows smiling and gazing up at the pitch-black sky, all while listening to my complaints.

Almost as if she could actually see the day she was fighting for.

Look how much of these have grown.

I've been a little busy, so I haven't been able to visit often. ...I'm sorry.

But I hope you didn't give me this position because you wanted me to be this busy.

...If you were still here, you'd probably be congratulating me the most... It feels a little empty since you're not...

...

You know how fools usually don't know their folly until they're faced with it? Yeah, that's me right now.

But the purpose of this conflict isn't to blindly stoke hatred. I refuse to ignore the truth, even in the heat of the moment.

Don't let revenge cloud your judgment.

...

I've told you this before, but I loathe your attitude these days.

Amiki, I need to speak with you.

I have nothing to say.

That's not true, you're discontent with what I said earlier.

Would saying it change anything? No matter what I say, you're still going to take the side of those Shadow Elves.

Is that what you think? That I'm the type of person to unconditionally take the side of strangers who rolled in from who knows where?

I'm always going to be on the side of the Slayers, on the side of Humanity...and you.

I only saw it once I got to where I am now. How tough it must have been for you the entire time.

...You could have vented your anger sometimes, you know.

Well...thinking back, I probably acted the way I did because I knew you'd hold it in. I'd always just yell out my frustrations the moment I felt annoyed.

I know I still lack a lot of things, but I'm going to try my best.

Remember how you once told me that you wanted me to carry out the final act of your plan?

...Everything I've been working towards, trying to accomplish what you couldn't... It's all part of your plan, isn't it?

When it's time for us to meet again, I'm gonna brag your ears off that I led the Slayers as proudly as you did.

...

So, you better have a bunch of compliments ready for me then.