Hellagur took the pocket watch and blade from his friend without even a chance to ask a question. The life had already left his friend's body. At the time, he didn't yet know that an unprecedented Great Rebellion was about to ignite war across Ursus, and this lost battle, coupled with the army's disobedience, was only the rebellion's mildest prelude. He could only vaguely sense that, although the storm-in-a-teacup had already dissipated, an unusual calm still lingered. Hellagur hung the scabbard on his waist and drew out the strange Higashinese sword. He examined it for a moment, but there were no familiar characters on the blade. He placed the sword on the table, presently covered with a battlefield map. The cold and slender blade lay vertically over the tangled front line, forming a large X on the map. He opened the pocket watch to find a photo of a strange girl on the inside. She looked reticent, with only her eyes showing a liveliness and curiosity that matched her age. At that moment, the girl walked out of the shadow in the corner of the command center. Her face, figure, clothing, and even the Originium crystal on her shoulder were identical to those in the photo. Only her gaze was different from the one in the photo when she looked at Hellagur. There was no curiosity, no panic, and even hostility seemed thin in her eyes. He could only detect calmness in them, as if her emotional quota had been exhausted by the war. He tried to talk to her, showing her the photo in the watch, and even pointing to the sword on the table, but the girl just stared at him silently, in the same way he had stared at his friend's corpse in silence. Hellagur realized that, like the sword, this was probably not the first time the girl had been entrusted to someone. She suddenly snatched up the sword, which was even taller than her. She held the blade and walked unsteadily towards him. The tall Liberi didn't say anything. The way the girl held it didn't seem like she was preparing to strike. Of course, it was possible there were special Higashinese ways to wield the Higashinese sword, or maybe the girl was pretending to make an effort to hold the sword in a way that would keep the edge from being worn on the ground, and he was moments away from having the cold blade pressed against his throat. But Hellagur didn't move. The girl's wrist trembled, and she struggled to move to his side. She raised the sword up high, with the tip pointing at the ground. He lowered his head and met the girl's gaze. She seemed to be pleading for something. He didn't know what she was asking for, but he nodded nonetheless. Whoosh. The girl inserted the sword into the scabbard at Hellagur's waist. Then she spoke. Her command of the common tongue was tinged with a heavy Higashinese accent coupled with twisty Ursine intonation. 'Don't drop Kudarikiri.'