Everyone stood silently as they watched the Second Battle of the Aisne take place before their eyes. Going into things, nobody expected the level of death and destruction on display in Emile's memories. Men died so quickly and in such brutal manners that even veteran soldiers like Amanda were disturbed. She'd been on the battlefield a few times in her life, but even she was made to turn slightly pale at the horror on display. Partway into the events, Robert left the room to puke, and Lilliana was escorted out by one of the maids, as she was starting to get faint from the carnage. Millella was the only one who remain, and though the girl seemed fine, Emile and Cher could tell she was little better off than the other kids. Emile did warn them that this was not something children should see, but unfortunately they didn't listen. War is hell, and he knew that better than most.
{I'm not entirely surprised that all are disturbed by this. That kind of reaction is normal, and why I never got much detail with those who asked.} (Emile)
{I just hope this shuts them up, and if they think this is bad, then wait until they see some of the other battles.} (Cher)
"Alright, I've seen enough." Albert stopped his magic, and the large floating 'screen' disappeared. "I... I have no idea what to say..." His face was still as stoic as ever, but you could tell by the look in his eyes that the old man was disturbed by what he just saw.
{What kind of hell did that boy come from?!?} (Albert)
"Are you sure? Because we've got plenty more to show you, and if you think that was bad, then you ain't seen nothing yet." Cher smirked. She didn't approve of anyone downplaying the hell Emile endured during his time in the wars, which was why she went for a shock tactic.
"Let's not, please..." Albert shook off his initial shock and turned to Emile. "What manner of world did you come from for that level of slaughter to be normal? Men died so quickly and it as as if nobody cared. I've been to war myself, and while I know it isn't pleasant... That was far beyond anything I've ever seen."
"What you saw there wasn't normal for my world, at least it wasn't up until that point in our history." Emile answered. "No one expected the war to be like this, but thanks to advances in technology, and foolish commanders, that's what the war became. It was bloodbath, with millions of men dying and countless more being scared for life." He never forgave some of the French commanders for the suicide missions they sent him and his boys on.
{There was a reason we called it the War to End All Wars. Though sadly, that's not what it became.} (Emile)
"A-And you fought in such conditions e-everyday?" Amanda was still stunned from what she witnessed. As a knight, she'd seen horrible things in war, but what she just witnessed made her experiences seem trivial. It was as if the soldiers lives meant nothing, and each death was little more than a footnote.
{He said ten million soldiers died in that war... I can't even fathom such horror...} (Amanda)
"Every day since my first deployment, minus the leave I was granted, from the years 1916 to 1918 I fought on the front lines." Emile nodded. "Then I went back for round two in 1939, and that lasted until 45. So all in all I spent nearly ten years at war."
{And its not like the Second War was better than the first one...} (Emile)
"That second time was its own special kind of bad. The level of industrialization was even higher, and technology had advanced to a level that scores of men could be killed in seconds." Cher nodded.
"That push through Normandy was not fun. Fighting the Germans behind every bush and hedgerow was miserable, and that's not even talking about the push through Italy, which was miserable." Emile sighed.
{No wonder he was haunted by nightmares! It's a miracle that he didn't go mad seeing such horrible things! The warfare I've seen in the east was brutal, but that...} (Lily)
"Were you really only a young boy?" Millela asked. She didn't leave like Robert, but her face was pale and she was slightly shaking. It seemed that even the relatively mature and level headed girl was still little more than a child on the inside.
"I was eighteen when I was drafted and thrown into combat. In what you saw there, I was not yet twenty." Emile nodded. "As were most of the men I fought alongside. Officers were usually a bit older, but those men in the trenches were usually somewhere around twenty years old, with many being less than that by the point you witnessed."
{We were literally running out of men. France had bled so hard by that point, and it only got worse from there.} (Emile)
"You were an officer, yet you were in there right alongside them." Lawerance had his hand covering his mouth, mostly to prevent himself from vomiting. “That is both unexpected, and admirable. Most higher ranking Nobles or officers would never have put themselves in such a position.”
{Some Nobles would complain if their clothing got dirty, let alone sit in a muddy hole in the ground with death all around them.} (Lawerance)
"That was my job." Emile chuckled. "There was no cushy office job for me, nor would I have wanted one. If my men were going out there risking themselves to save our country, then I was going to be right there with them." He'd felt a sense of pride and patriotism being in the war. He might not like war itself, but Emile felt what he was doing was for the greater good, since his home and family were at risk.
{There was no way I could've lived with myself being safe in the rear while good men died to protect our home like that...} (Emile)
"I... I must apologize to you." Denise lowered her head to Cher and Emile, which surprised and confused the two of them. "I'd accepted that you were a reincarnation, but I'd been downplaying your experiences in my mind. I thought you were exaggerating the horror for personal gain. Please forgive me."
{T-That was something I'd never like to see again. The screams of those men, the blood... the everything...} (Denise)
"It's fine." Emile told her to raise her head. "This world has no context for such industrialized warfare. So it's understandable to be skeptical of my claims." He figured that he would be skeptical if the positions were reversed.
"Being there in person is even worse than watching it like this." Cher commented. "I may have been nothing more than a weapon at the time, but I was there for all of that. You saw me in the memory. So perhaps now you understand what I meant when I said that Emile has gone through enough."
"I can understand why anyone who went through such horror would never pick up a weapon again." Arnold sighed.
"Good, so don't go trying to force Emile into war!" Cher gave a scary smile. "I won't just sit idly by while he's thrust into such a position again. This second life should allow him to rest and recover, not throw him into battle for a third time."
{He needs to rest and recover! Not be made to kill and sacrifice again! He already did enough of that!} (Cher)
"Cher-" Emile tried to interrupt but was cut off by the rifle's glare.
"Do you want to go to war again?" Cher turned to him. "I know you met good people during the war, and even remember it somewhat fondly at times, but we both know that deep down those years scarred you. You know that better than even I!" She'd been there through his nightmares, and all the other problems that he'd suffered from throughout his inter and post war life. He could struggle to sleep, would sometimes zone out in the middle of a conversation, and in the worst case scenario he could snap if the wrong stimulus was applied.
"It's not that I want to go to war again, Cher. I'd rather stay away from the battlefield, but I'm not foolish enough to believe that ignoring the potential for more conflict is a smart idea." Emile stared back at her. "He who lives by the sword dies by the sword. A conscripted soldier I may have been, but that means I will always be tied to the battlefield in some way." He continued. "When the Germans came again twenty years later, I didn't use the excuse that I was an older man that fought already in his youth to allow my son to go on his own! NO! I picked you up and marched North alongside him, and I never regretted that decision. No matter how much Louise complained, I made sure our boy got home, and our people weren't reduced to slaves!" He'd never once regretted his decision to follow his son into the Second World War, and he'd always said he'd do it again if he needed to.
"So if you were called to battle in this world again, you'd go?" Cher asked, not moving her eyes off him. She still didn't want him going into battle, and she sure as hell wasn't going to let someone else force him.
"If I had to fight to protect you and those I care about, then yes." Emile answered firmly. "I never wanted to fight, but if I didn't, then that would risk the loss of things important things. It's why I fought so hard in the First War and why I fought again in the Second. Not because of some desire for honor or some foolhardy need to prove myself. No, I fought to defend France, my home, my family, and to make sure the people there could live peaceful lives!"
{I fought so they didn't have to, and so that they would have a future. Sure it harmed me, but at the end of the day, I don't regret it. We made it so that the world was brighter at the end of the day, and my son got to grow up, have a family and become a man that makes me proud to be his Dad!} (Emile)
"And you'd do the same in this world?" Cher asked. "You'd defend people in this place? A place that is alien to you? A place that isn't France? A place where Louise and Arnold aren't?" She wasn't mocking him or trying to get a rise out of him, as she truly wanted an answer.
{Would you truly care about another world, with people you don't care about?} (Cher)
"Even when France was overrun, and my family was evacuated to London, did I give up just because they were safe?" Emile stood up.
"No, you told your family that you still had a job to do." Cher remembered that day well. It caused a huge argument between Emile and his wife, as she wanted to just wait things out. "You said that you couldn't sit by in safety while innocent people were being harmed."
"Exactly!" Emile stood in front of Cher, glaring up at her. "I am no coward. I do not love war, by God, I hate it, but I refuse to sit by and watch others fight for me." He shook his head. "It's too late for a man like me to distance himself from the battlefield. You know well that even during my time as a doctor, I kept up on military events and politics. It's part of me Cher, I can't get rid of it, and trying to run from it isn't going to work."
{If I could, then perhaps I wouldn't find myself constantly brought back to those battlefields. My body may have left them, but part of my mind still lingers there, and it probably always will.} (Emile)
Emile turned to Albert. "I have no loyalty to your nation or your Emperor. I am a proud soldier of The French Republic, and I swore an oath to protect and defend our nation and its constitution. But, perhaps if I find that this is a good country, I might help if the need arises. I do not want to fight, and Cher is right that it would be best for me not to have to step onto the battlefield again, but I will not allow innocent people to die because I refuse to help!" He couldn't do that, since he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did.
"You're just going to keep making this more complicated for me, aren't you?" Albert sighed. "For now, I'll make a full report to His Majesty. I suspect he'll wish to meet you in the future, and it's possible we may call upon your knowledge. I don't know anything about using you militarily, but for now I don't think that will be an issue." He figured the Emperor would want to take a cautious approach to Emile, and not risk causing an issue. His knowledge was far to valuable to be wasted, and he couldn't risk him defecting to another nation.
"I don't mind sharing what I know, but understand that there are some things I don't wish to see replicated in this world." Emile replied. He feared that this world could turn into a bloodbath if he gave the Empire an overwhelming technological advantage. "I can provide you knowledge of medicine no problem, but military-related information... I'm a bit wary of spreading it. Especially in a world like this."
"I'm certain His Majesty will understand your hesitation. The display we just witnessed... I can't speak for him but at the very least I don't want to see such things in the flesh." Albert shook his head.
{I honestly have no clue what to make of this boy. A Spirit Host is one thing, we train them and try and coax them into joining the Imperial Army or Civil Service, but him... There's much discussion to be had. He could be a powerful ally or a dangerous enemy.} (Albert)
"In the meantime, Christina, Falen." Albert turned to the two knights who snapped to attention.
"Yes, Sir." (Christina x Falen)
"I'll be placing you two in charge of his protection for the time being." Albert figured it best that Emile be guarded by people that understood his situation, and these two fit that category nicely. "I don't know how long your assignment will be, but until His Majesty makes a decision to the contrary, he will be treated as any other Spirit Host."
"Should we accommodate them here?" Amanda asked.
"If that wouldn't be too troublesome yes, and I'll have the Financial Department contact you later for payment." Albert nodded. "For now, you two are tasked with keeping him safe for the time being."
{I suppose there are worse duties than guarding a Spirit Host. But I'm worried this will be a headache of a job with a kid like that.} (Christina)
