0. Hey, Rodrigue. Looking for something specific?
1. I am—it's a book called Cichol's General Treatise on Mercenaries. I was hoping to brush up a bit.
2. Hmm, sounds familiar. Pretty sure I skimmed through [cdb]it back at the academy.
3. Are you gonna use it for the next campaign or [cdb]something?
4. Ah, well... Perhaps.
5. Uhh, Rodrigue? Is everything OK? You're not really [cdb]the kinda guy to skirt around answers like that.
6. If I may. Do you remember when we faced Jeralt and [cdb]his mercenaries in battle?
7. Tell him you remember.
8. Tell him your memory's a bit fuzzy.
9. How could I forget? Things got pretty intense [cdb]out there.
10. Indeed they did. And that battle is the reason they [cdb]opted to join our cause.
11. Honestly, I was kinda lost in the heat of it all. Hard to remember much outside of a few fuzzy [cdb]details.
12. I can hardly blame you, given the intensity of the [cdb]clash. That you survived at all is a minor miracle.
13. One mistake is all it would've taken for us to suffer [cdb]a crushing defeat. Thankfully, we managed to seize [cdb]the initiative ourselves and emerge victorious.
14. Had we not, our main camp would surely have fallen. I expect I too would've lost my life in the fray.
15. Yeah, it felt like there was danger lurking around [cdb]every corner. Almost like I was walking on thin ice, [cdb]never sure when it was gonna crack beneath me.
16. It frustrated me to no end—both as a warrior and a [cdb]commander—to see such foresight, such clever [cdb]strategies emerging from the other side.
17. Without the wisdom of our predecessors, I would [cdb]never have been able to assess the situation. Hence [cdb]why I again find myself here seeking knowledge.
18. You never fail to impress me, Rodrigue. All those [cdb]years of experience, and you still have the drive to [cdb]sit down and study tactics in your time off.
19. I merely despise the idea of defeat, nothing more. I lack the cunning of the margrave.
20. And unlike Lambert, I lack the overwhelming [cdb]courage necessary to turn the tide of battle on [cdb]my own.
21. Which is why I must learn as many strategies as I can. It's the only way I can prevail over those both wiser [cdb]and braver than I.
22. Y'know, you've said before that you and Felix don't [cdb]have a whole lot in common.
23. But I'm not so sure that's true. Neither of you miss a [cdb]single chance to improve yourselves.
24. Guess the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree. That goes for Dimitri, Sylvain, and yeah, even Felix.
25. Guess the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree. That goes for Dimitri, and Felix too.
26. As for you, Rodrigue...I think all that hard-earned [cdb]knowledge is exactly what makes you the incredible [cdb]commander you are.
27. Hah. I'll spare you the humility and just accept the [cdb]compliment. Thank you.
28. I bet you could even beat the margrave or the former [cdb]king if you took 'em on now.
29. I wouldn't be so sure. Both of them were far beyond [cdb]my reach in their prime.
30. And the margrave aside, I could never hope to meet Lambert as equals. I'd struggle for an eternity without [cdb]ever growing close to his might.
31. I guess you can't exactly catch up to someone when [cdb]they're gone.
32. Perhaps not. But that's exactly why we must continue [cdb]learning—to never stop reaching for those who seem [cdb]beyond our grasp.
33. Gotcha. Then I'm just gonna have to follow in your [cdb]footsteps.
34. I'll catch up to you before you know it, Rodrigue. Just don't go dying on me before I get the chance.
35. Is that so? Then I suppose I'll have to work even [cdb]harder to give you a proper challenge.
36. Oh yeah, you were looking for Cichol's Treatise, [cdb]right? Lemme go ask if anyone knows where it is.
37. Will I really make it home next winter?