“I never said we should’ve let it kill anyone.” Vash responded firmly to Saber, almost sounding offended that she would suggest he valued the dragon’s life more than that of his teammates. “I tried to fight against it — to weaken it.” he explained. “I didn’t want
anyone to die.” he told her, tuning out Evahld’s rant as it didn’t seem worth arguing at that particular moment.
Before Saber could respond, though, Sorin presented a rather familiar argument. Vash tensed, stuck without an answer. The thought wasn’t exactly new to him, as his brother had given him almost the exact same problem
a long time ago. Vash’s gaze drifted to the ground as he struggled to think of a response. He certainly hadn’t underestimated the complexity of the problem, as, even after a hundred years, Vash still didn’t have an answer.
The question became even more difficult to answer when Archer added his two cents. The Servant was completely right — the dragon was the spider and its prey, the butterflies. And just as Knives had told him, there was no clear way that everyone could survive.
“Perhaps there are some times when it is impossible to save everyone…” Vash replied slowly, looking to Sorin and Archer. “However…” he continued, directing his response to Archer’s argument in particular. “Just because there are some times when it’s impossible, that doesn’t mean it always is.” he told him. “Even if it’s difficult to find an answer… it just might be possible. If there’s any way to save both sides, we have to go that route. We can’t just assume that the only option is to kill.” he argued. “So, if a creature can only survive by taking the lives of others, then perhaps it is impossible to prevent any deaths. But, if a village is being raided, as you said, then the raiders do not need to be killed. You can stop them without resorting to murder — and the raiders can survive through other means.” he explained. “You say that a hero can only take sides, but, I disagree.” he continued. “She’s right,” Vash glanced in Saber’s direction. “Saving the lives of others should always take priority. And so long as there’s some chance of saving everyone involved, I have to try.” he told them. “For all we know, maybe there is a way save someone who must kill to survive as well as their victims without allowing any deaths, and we just haven’t figured it out yet. That said… I have to try. I always have to try. I will never assume that the only option is to kill.” he looked towards Sorin and Archer with a look in his eyes that suggested this was more than just an ideology — it was a promise. “I will always try to save everyone. Even if the solution isn’t clear — I’ll always search for it. I won’t ever assume that death is the only option.”