[He would be hard pressed to do little more than condemn Fandaniel, hearing how honestly he speaks. Taking a life should never be easy, and by the same token, dragging someone back from death is perilous in its own right. It turned out to be a mistake, but at the time... would Fandaniel have pursued it if he had known how it would end?

The mask gives little away, but Fandaniel may feel the weight of Nishi's gaze regardless, along with the heavy silence that follows his admission.

How Nishi feels about it is... complicated. Maybe if he remembered the whole of his life, more than the jagged pains and that fathomless emptiness carved out by too many mistakes, he would have the words to reach this man. For now, he only has this, spoken honestly and without guile—]

I don't envy the burden your emperor carried. Living once is surely enough. He bore that weight dutifully, I'm sure... but everyone has their limit.

[There is no condemnation in his answer. Only the recognition of loss heavy enough to be felt even in words alone.]

You must have cared deeply for him. I'm sorry for your loss.

[Not just once, but twice. Fandaniel can be wrong and have been wronged, but that's what it is to be human.]