Editing City Series:Volume6e Chapter2 (section)

===Part 9===

Schweitzer watched as Witzmann repeated his question while picking up the breastplate.

“Will you place your trust in Neue Erde or in the Messiah?”

Schweitzer softly clenched his teeth.

Bermark was watching him and he nodded with no expression of his own.

“So what will it be? Will you let the Messiah do as she wishes? Will you ask the Messiah what it is she wishes to do? The fräulein is no longer in any condition to answer such questions. But if you value her more…”

“You always use your lack of a heart to shield yourself from criticism, but this is pushing it. You’re siding with Lowenzahn, aren’t you? Everything you’ve done today helps her in the end.”

“If you say so.”

Bermark bowed deep with a hand on his chest and Schweitzer sighed.

“So what does my aide say I can do to protect our country?”

“You should focus on simply protecting it instead of on your position as the Schallmauer Zerstörer. Just like when you have twice protected the fräulein in the past.”

Schweitzer frowned at that.

Witzmann questioned Bermark’s comment with a hand on his chin.

“Twice? I know about the dragon attack at Neuschwanstein, but what’s the other one?”

“I doubt Captain Schweitzer remembers the first time either. When Frobel Naylor once visited that chamber below Munich, Sir Bertecht-”

“He protected the hospital from rioters and died,” continued Witzmann.

Schweitzer briefly looked up and frowned.

“What does that have to do with this, Bermark?”

“He initially hesitated to go assist in Munich, but then his young son told him that a Neue Kavalier is supposed to protect the things they care about.”

When Bermark finished speaking, silence hung over them all.

But then Schweitzer suppressed a groan and clenched his teeth hard.

Bermark looked and spoke to him with no readable emotion on his face or in his voice.

“Frobel Naylor was pregnant at the time and she apparently spent around 12 hours down there with Lady Rose. They discussed her unborn child to distract themselves from the anxiety.”

“Enough,” rumbled Schweitzer. He removed the scarf from his shirt’s collar and loosened the collar. He took a breath and twisted his head once. “I will oppose the Messiah. I will trust in Lowenzahn and protect her. To keep my promise to the Ilfheim bloodline she may not have known she belonged to.”

“Protection is not always the correct choice. Sir Graham and Lady Rose learned the hard way that protecting people can lead to greater harm in the end. And If the Messiah is right…”

“Then I lose. But as a nameless fighter, not as the Schallmauer Zerstörer.”

Schweitzer smiled bitterly. He saluted the two old men and turned his back.

He walked away, toward the door up to the surface.

“I am leaving, Bermark. Take care of those two.”

“Wait, wait. We haven’t made our own choice.”

“Then be quick about it. I am in a hurry.”

Elrich sighed, got up, removed his brown cloak, and put on a white coat instead.

“I am going to Germania. If this comes down to a battle between Neue Erde and the Messiah, Neue Erde has an unfair advantage. She already knows where destiny is headed, after all.”

Elrich began to walk, but after a few steps, he looked back at Witzmann who was still seated on the floor.

“What about you, youngster?”

“Oh, I will be joining the AIF.”

Schweitzer frowned at that one.

He turned back at the door to see Elrich giving him an exaggerated shrug and Bermark as expressionless as ever.

Schweitzer scratched his head and then gave a quick disheartened comment.

“You really are young.”

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