LogFAQs > #926496277

I think Crimson Flower should've locked in earlier than it is

Getting to it is such nonsense. There's no real logic to protecting Edelgard after she's already attacked you in the Holy Tomb. Best I can think of is "Hey, killing is a bit extreme, why not try to interrogate her?"

Really, Crimson Flower should've been locked in the moment you choose to go to Enbarr with Edelgard. Then, you can have a series of events where Edelgard reveals herself as the Flame Emperor privately and warns Byleth that Rhea is planning on doing something to them with the "divine revelation".

Then, once the mission occurs, when Byleth sits in the throne and Rhea laments that nothing happens, Edelgard confronts Rhea on what she was trying to do, rather than launch a raid of Crest Stones. Citing the contents of Jeralt's diary that Byleth shares with her, Edelgard can declare she won't let Rhea turn Byleth into a church puppet, driving Rhea into a rage and causing her to attack the class in her dragon form. Chapter 11 then turns into an Escape mission instead of a Boss kill mission.

In theory, this gives Edelgard at least the plausible excuse of declaring war in self-defense, as she and Byleth will have been branded heretics just for questioning Rhea's motives. It also pays off the earlier villainous vibes Rhea gave off earlier, as it shows that merely questioning her is enough to earn her wrath. Rest of the route plays out similarly, maybe you throw in a chapter to murk the Agarthans. I wouldn't say this would completely justify Edelgard's actions, but at least the narrative flow would be smoother? Sure beats "Yeah, I'll protect my student because she's hot".

Can't say I fault the effort of Three Houses though. When you're effectively creating four stories, shortcuts will occur. Honestly, they might be better off sticking to a single storyline next time.
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