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Wait for it Price we only got one shot at that bastard Zakhaev…

Rio-hime has gone off to try and bring peace, but it seems that negotiations have been over for some time as it must have taken a while for both Helvetia and Rome to mobilize forces to far flung frontiers. Considering that Vingt, where the fighting was the fiercest in the last war, is in the east, it is no small logistical feat for the Romans to mass on the Western Border which was lightly defended but carefully watched. Noel seems to have been the Harbinger of the Romans’ destruction when she was working for Helvetian weapons reclamation (they weren’t making anything new they were just bringing back some of those old magical weapons). However it seems that Noel was dubbed as the Witch of Helvetia for being the Reclaimer of Lost Technology during her time under Colonel Hopkins. Much of this episode hints at how when Noel was loli that she had an affinity for the relics of the past that Helvetia needed to fight off Rome. The interesting thing here is that the use of WMDs is the side that is fighting for national survival which is probably the most likely use of WMDs in our own world as their use as first strike weapons is unthinkable in cases of mutually assured destruction be by internal WMD stockpiles or being under the aegis of a power that does have WMDs. Nevertheless one can be pretty certain that if a nuclear state were to be invaded and on the verge of perceived defeat the nukes would fly the VX gas canisters will be used. As serious as the use of chemical weapons is it seems that Rome with it superior numbers of conventional forces backed Helvetia into a corner and asked for Iliya and now Rio as a hostage wife of the Emperor between a the choice of fighting a war they probably couldn’t win and becoming a vassal state, Helvetia chose to fight it out for independence and eventually resorted to unleashing the horrors of the past to avoid defeat. In that context the use of Noel’s reclaimed chemical weapon (possibly a blister agent like phosgene given the coughing of blood, though there is a lack of horrific blisters) isn’t as clear cut as it may seem from the usual WMDs are only used by the bad guys trope that permeates more simplistic takes/platitudes about war. Given that the Roman Army was attacking Vingt when the gas was used and they are invading now that the Emperor cannot have Rio as wife and hostage it’s not as if the Romans are the good guys either nor is Noel completely absolved of her involvement in creating the WMD (though getting sleepy might earn her more forgiveness in the short term).

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