[Byleth heard the disappointment and knew he had failed to match up to an expectation he had never been told about. Likely Dimitri's Byleth would've held a similar opinion to him: saving as many people as possible, even at the cost of one's life.

He felt his jaw clench.]

I'm not abandoning them. I'm prioritising my safety. If we succumb to the Blight, or die in some other fashion, then Fódlan is lost forever.

[He straightened up from his slouch, his grip visibly tightening around his clipboard.]

We must be pragmatic about this. No matter how difficult it may be to turn a blind eye to the suffering, we must cut away our sympathy and focus on our survival - for Fódlan.

[There was more Byleth wanted to add, but even he knew they'd be words he'd regret, spoken only in the heat of the moment. Instead, he forced his grip to relax around the clipboard, trying to ignore how hot he suddenly felt.]