Wind and snow carrying the scent of gunpowder poured into the Central Command of the Snezhnaya Capital. Tartaglia stood before the massive French window, his fingertips instinctively brushing against his brand-new shoulder badge—the emblem of a sharp sword wrapped in ice crystals, beneath it the shield-shaped national crest.
"Had your fill of looking?" Arlecchino's voice rang out behind him, cold as tundra wind. She wore a simple dark gray uniform, having discarded the elaborate regalia of a Fatui Harbinger, with only a small, burning-fireplace-shaped pin fastened to her collar. "After today, there are no more 'Fatui' in this world. There is only the Snezhnayan National Defense Army. You, Tartaglia, are its first Commander-in-Chief. Do not fail this position."
Tartaglia spun around abruptly, complex emotions churning in his azure pupils as his habitual arrogance was weighed down by something heavy: "We should throw the moniker 'Childe' into the dustbin of history as well." He tugged at the crisp collar of his military tunic, the meticulous tailoring making him feel somewhat unaccustomed. "Those remnants and stragglers outside... organizing them is harder than clearing out an Abyss Order stronghold."
Chapter 193