"Hey! What are you doing?!"
There was still a trace of kindness in her nature. She could think about some things on the premise that nothing else was happening. Seeing this kind of situation, her instincts made her stand up.
According to her estimation, a fight was likely to happen next, but the actions of the other party surprised Yamato.
"Wait! Little girl, don't come over! It's dangerous here, you might get infected!"
They didn't attack her. Seeing that she came from outside the barbed wire, they instead shouted that it was dangerous, but the other two soldiers continued to burn the corpses with flamethrowers. The stark contrast caused her confusion, making her unsure of what was happening.
"You guys...."
Originally, she thought these people were cruel villains and was ready to attack, but now she was speechless. The soldier in front of her thought she was scared.
The soldier who stopped Yamato looked back and saw his companions burning the corpses.
"Little girl, stay away from here, it's dangerous. Don't you know Freyvans is experiencing an infectious disease outbreak?"
The soldier didn't know he was part of a massacre. He was ordered to prevent the spread of the infection and protect his own country. His king never revealed the truth, and they dared not trust the explanations of the Freyvans people.
To ensure their families wouldn't catch that terrible disease, they chose to follow orders and eliminate the infected.
What was happening here was not an isolated incident. Similar situations were occurring around Freyvans, and it was escalating.
Although the royal family of Freyvans had fled, a large amount of lead bullets were still stored in warehouses, and with no way out, those still able to move took up arms in resistance.
Due to this resistance, neighboring countries took it as justifiable self-defense. Under the pretext of preventing the spread of the plague and safeguarding their national security, the surrounding kingdoms issued new orders, but the soldiers here only guarded the perimeter.
"Olga."
"Understood."
In the eyes of those soldiers, it seemed like Yamato and the others heeded his advice and left, but in fact, they remained there and had already entered the quarantine zone ahead, just unnoticed by them.
Reality always causes plans to change. Originally, he hadn't planned to intervene, but now the timing was perfect.
One's strength can be honed anywhere, and Yamato couldn't find a more suitable opponent than Kaidou. Training without live combat doesn't always work for her since Kaidou's training is virtually indistinguishable from real combat.
However, staying on Ghost Island wouldn't allow her mindset to grow. Under the current circumstances, even the ideal Reshiram might not recognize her, let alone the real Zekrom.
There's a difference between being naive and idealistic. Having never confronted the harsh realities of the world, she knew nothing, and this was an opportunity for her to mature.
"Foster father, those words of theirs..."
"They are false, but they are not at fault."
Arceus explained some issues about the origins of the platinum lead to Yamato and also spoke about the ore disease and the World Government's concealment.
"Yamato, the question now is, what do you want to do?"
"I... I want to save these people and get them out of here."
"The soldiers outside have their orders. If you want to save these people, those soldiers will be your enemies, but they are only 'protecting' their country. If you want to save the people of Freyvans, you will have to harm them.
Do you still want to do it now?"
This time, Yamato couldn't answer, and Arceus continued to lead them forward. The occasional corpse was just the start. As they moved deeper, bodies practically covered the streets.
"How... could this be..."
"This is the world where without strength, one can only be slaughtered. Yamato, the people of Freyvans are innocent; they face this fate due to the greed of those in power, but those soldiers are not villains.
Justice and evil are never absolute. In the eyes of the Navy, your father and I are unforgivable criminals, but in the territory of the Hundred Beasts, we are revered like guardian deities.
When you help those you think are weak, you are also bullying another weak party from a position of strength.
So remember, only the strong can determine right and wrong and decide the morality of a matter according to their values. Everyone can speak grand principles, but without force as a backing, principles remain just principles."
At twelve years old, she was no longer in a state of ignorance. At this age, she was beginning to understand principles, and the tragedy of Freyvans eroded much of her innocence.
"What you do might be wrong, and nothing can satisfy everyone. But as long as you have no regrets in your heart, that's enough. So now, make your decision. There should still be some survivors in the Northeast."
Yamato's body began to change, with the appearance of Okuchi no Makami replacing her previous form. Compared to her earlier hesitation, she seemed to have figured some things out.
"Have you decided?"
"I don't know if what I'm doing is right, but if I do nothing, I won't be able to sleep when I go back. Maria, Diancie, come help me. Just make sure not to kill those soldiers."
That naive aspect still lingered in her mind, but if a few words could make her abandon this part of her nature, she wouldn't be herself.
Saying this, she dragged Maria in the direction Arceus indicated, and Diancie silently flew over, but she didn't bring along the less combat-capable Nico Robin.
She had understood earlier that she couldn't let her powerless companions be in dangerous places due to her own caprices.
After Yamato left, Arceus instructed Olga:
"Somewhat impulsive. Olga, follow her, and make sure she doesn't encounter any danger."
"Leave it to me, Lord Arceus."
After Olga left with Elizabeth, only Nico Robin was left here. Although her capacity to accept things was strong, the impact of this scene on her was still significant.
Her face was slightly pale at this moment, reminiscent of the situation in Ohara.
"Look, this is what happens under the indifference of the World Government. Their protection of member countries only extends to a few royals. Can you guess how they'll report this incident in their newspapers this time?"
She once questioned the situation in the Sikar Kingdom, and the situation in Freyvans provided an opportunity to understand some things, preventing it from affecting her future relationship with Yamato.
At this time, Yamato had already reached the designated location. Looking at the sea of flames, an icy-blue breath emerged from her mouth....