[Byleth didn't immediately answer. He was obviously giving Hayame's question some serious thought.]
Myriad of reasons: lack of unity and ruthlessness, rampant exhaustion dulling rational thinking, and debilitating mental instability and fragility. In hindsight, we'd been too passive. The most pragmatic approach would've been to kill as many Zenith as possible. It would've been within our power, as Meridian has more martially trained individuals than Zenith. But we didn't utilise our advantage. We let Zenith's unity and mental robustness overwhelm us, and so we lost.
[He paused to nibble on his flower petal.] However, that competition had been a numbers game. This one is a little different, and we all have to live with each other afterwards. Pragmatic killing is a lot more awkward when your victim can revive afterwards.
no subject
Myriad of reasons: lack of unity and ruthlessness, rampant exhaustion dulling rational thinking, and debilitating mental instability and fragility. In hindsight, we'd been too passive. The most pragmatic approach would've been to kill as many Zenith as possible. It would've been within our power, as Meridian has more martially trained individuals than Zenith. But we didn't utilise our advantage. We let Zenith's unity and mental robustness overwhelm us, and so we lost.
[He paused to nibble on his flower petal.] However, that competition had been a numbers game. This one is a little different, and we all have to live with each other afterwards. Pragmatic killing is a lot more awkward when your victim can revive afterwards.