[center][h3][color=#b3ccff]Esben Mathiassen[/color][/h3][/center]
[hr]

Esben turned, glancing at Ciradyl as she confirmed what Mizutani claimed...and offered no further words to explain herself. Arton's outburst went almost immediately ignored—even if he didn't listen to Izayoi, the others would be enough to contain him—as he pulled out a few of the papers he'd been reading, holding them back over his shoulder towards Izayoi, who read them over quickly and came to what sounded like much the same conclusion he had.

[color=#b3ccff]"She still feels guilty about it all, why else?"[/color] he replied in response to Izayoi and Hien's questioning. [color=#b3ccff]"A popular musician turned rebel leader, forced to make all the sorts of decisions that one of you learned to later and the other has been raised from birth to make? It can't be an easy thing."[/color]

He held up the rest of the papers in his hand over his and Ciradyl's shoulders. [color=#b3ccff]"Certainly not having to work with someone like Mizutani Tane to get the work done, but that's beside the point. General Hakamichi was one of the first to perish in Valheim's invasion, but his lieutenant, Mikado, managed to avoid immediate death. Neither one was particularly known for military prowess, even as far south as Skael, but Mikado started gathering together whoever he could with the goal of making another push against Valheim or dying in the attempt. A waste of lives, much like Izayoi described her own presumed last battle. Better to siphon away those who weren't fanatics and let the others waste themselves, it was early enough to expect such as Valheim was cementing their rule.[/color]

[color=#b3ccff]"Or one of the provincial governors, Ikezawa, who had been one of those during the war with [i]Edren[/i] calling on the common people to be ready to take up arms and fight to the last, fostering fear and rage in equal measure, and primed to do just the same as Valheim came to her door. She'd sooner scorch the earth and wipe her people out than swallow her pride and fight for the future. Better to have her poisoned and claim what resources could be recovered before she committed everybody she had to a pointless death. Ibarazaki and Tezuka, both known for their rivalries [i]during[/i] the war with Edren, who were attempting to each play Valheim against the other while trying to consolidate their own power bases...and were sacrificing villages' worth of innocents to do so. Drug them, kidnap them, and hand deliver them to Valheim while [i]rescuing[/i] those who could prove actually useful to the cause, and let the rest run into hiding or waste themselves in singular efforts as they saw fit. General Satou—"[/color]

[color=#736AFF][b]"That one shirked his duty to the Emperor and the nation during the war,"[/b][/color] Izayoi cut in, disdain evident in her tone. [color=#736aff][b]"I do not recall him commanding in the field."[/b][/color] Esben nodded once, before continuing, almost certain he'd be interrupted again, [color=#b3ccff]"And his lieutenants, Setou, Mutou, Nakai, and Shirakawa—"[/color]

[color=#736aff][b]"Useless city samurai, the lot of them. Unworthy to command, much less fight."[/b][/color] Esben was almost certain he'd caught the hint of a nod from Hien at that interruption, as Izayoi's disdain passed into outright derision. [color=#b3ccff][i]"Ja.[/i] All five had seen fit to declare themselves rulers all their own, attempting to carve out their own little fiefdom where Valheim's rule was weakest. Certainly, the citizens of the area welcomed local rule, but they didn't know what they were going to be dragged into had such ill-formed plans been given any time to come to fruition. If such ill-formed rebellions as those were left to proceed as they would, then Valheim's shackles might instead have been a noose on the populace."[/color] He tapped Ciradyl on the head with the papers in his hand, turning slightly to look at the rest over her shoulder.

[color=#b3ccff]"Instead, a certain singer who was known to the general managed to gather information on his and his lieutenants' troop movements when they had yet to drag too many others into their insanity, and leak that intelligence to the new governors at a party hosted by a local, ah, [i]businesswoman.[/i] It all comes together quite nicely, and there are names of others in here who are working other jobs in this safehouse right now, or out hunting down other scraps of information and gathering up as many useful people as possible, and it all allowed Ciradyl to ingratiate herself enough with the occupiers to guarantee a measure of safety for all of those to operate within...or to learn Hien's fate and work to avert it."[/color]

Of course, there was more than just that all that Esben had been able to piece together from the details in Mizutani's papers, though he figured that should be enough to illustrate it for the rest. Mizutani had thought much of it came down to [i]her[/i] benefit, with enough of those that were rescued from a sure death in other ill-advised resistances set to work as moles within the crime lord's own network. It was a well-orchestrated plan, not without its own hiccups, but completed well enough to ensure that someone with the actual skillset and understanding to see it through to the end could take the helm.

[color=#b3ccff]"Now, Valheim contents itself with harsh taxation, strict curfews, and occasionally making an example out of criminals not normally severe enough to warrant the effort. Stricter now after what we've done, of course, but that couldn't be helped. Under the guise of a collaborator and with the help of those she pulled around her who [i]did[/i] know this world before the occupation, she managed to keep the citizenry relatively safe, and secure one of the rare leaders left in this country who understands the politics as well as the battle. I have little doubt that any of those I just mentioned would have left Hien to die for nothing more than their own egos, not for any worthwhile reason. Any others in these pages that might have attempted a rescue were likely too incompetent to meet with any success in the effort [i]or[/i] to try and use the death to their advantage when they inevitably failed. Their records in the war with Edren suggest as much."[/color]

He glanced to Izayoi, who nodded back, having spied some of those others the same as he had. Of course, her views on the competence of those already mentioned were much the same; even as useful as some of them may have been in war proper, they weren't built for the sort of work that a resistance required. Neither was Ciradyl, if he had to guess. [color=#b3ccff]"Regardless, though, that's quite a bit to have weighing on the conscience for someone who didn't already have years of preparation for making these sorts of choices. As easy as it might be to understand, logically, why Chisaki's occupation exists and that most of the nobility don't have anywhere near the virtue their titles imply, it's another thing entirely to have to dive head first into that world. Most people aren't cut out for it, and usually castigate themselves over it quite a bit."[/color] His eyes narrowed looking down at the paper on the top of his now-truncated stack, before he let out a short laugh of appreciation.

[color=#b3ccff]"Ah, planting evidence against some of the local nobility who were [i]actual[/i] collaborators, ensuring that Valheim removed them for you? That had to be Chisaki's plan, yes? Old trick. Always love it."[/color]